Professors Assemble
by Blueberry01120
Summary: "He goes by Loki Laufeyson, Professor Loki Laufeyson." It's 2025, and SHIELD's found the realms' favorite god teaching. Yes, Loki teaches. Why? No one knows, and that's why they send in the realms' favorite brother to said god to find out what "Mr. I Am Evil, but it's My Dad's Fault" is planning with his pop quizzes and homework packets. Oh yes: "Ew, he procreated?"
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Professor Loki Laufeyson, Ph.D.

**Thor**

"We found Loki."

Thor's heart stops beating for the first time in ten years, almost failing entirely with those three words. With each time the Avengers have been called into session, he has anticipated for those to be the first words from Director Fury's mouth, but all of the occurrences have led to disappointed. That is until now.

"Heh, where? Living in a dumpster with his sixty cats?" Bruce looks triumphant as he gets a fist bump from both Tony and Clint though Thor is not amused by his jests. His brother's affinity for cats is not very amusing. Well, perhaps a little but under different circumstances of course.

"Nope." Director Fury rubs his forehead with the pads of his fingers. "He's a teacher."

The air of comedy disappears from the room, and Thor leans forward, eager to hear more developments on his brother's life. Loki is alive, safe, and a teacher?

His brain was always full of knowledge Thor could only feign comprehension of, staring on in awe as his brothers deft fingers weaved circles around his head as he spoke, his mouth twisted into a smirk—a goodhearted one unlike the last time Thor saw his face.

"Who the fuck would allow him to be around children?"

Steven sighs though it is not one of disagreement. "I agree however evil a person must be to harm children. I mean, he had no problem with interdimensional genocide, and that's almost Hitler level evil. Hurting kids is not far off."

"How did he slip past you in the first place?" Natasha asks. "Did it somehow slip your mind that maybe you should look in plain sight?"

Director Fury clasps his hands as a projected image of a forever familiar lithe body appears, intelligent glasses perched on his nose. Loki has no need for such eyewear, but it suits him as everything else does. Nothing can mar perfection. "We didn't expect Loki to be so... obvious about it."

"What name does he go by?" Tony asks.

Clint smirks. "Probably something along the lines of, 'Mr. I Am Evil, but it's My Dad's Fault,' right?"

"Well, Barton, you're not that far off base." Text appears above the projected picture of Loki. "He goes by Loki Laufeyson, Professor Loki Laufeyson."

"You're kidding me, right?" Bruce shouts. "Loki Laufeyson? No other names?"

Director Fury shakes his head. "No, simply Professor Loki Laufeyson."

Coulson strides into the room, casting a glance around them all, and Thor nods him a greeting, getting one in return. "Don't forget the Ph.D. You know how graduate school kids get when you forget the Ph.D., right, Bruce?"

Bruce crosses his arms. "Well, I did put in extra work, so the least you can do is say three letters."

"Anyway, we're unsure of what his intentions are," Coulson says. "He's been teaching there for ten years this week-"

"I'll be sure to have Pep send him some cupcakes over. 'Congratulations, you duped SHIELD. Again.'"

Director Fury sends Tony a sharp look.

"And honestly, he's good."

"No, he's not good," Director Fury says, "he's great. As in, top ten in the world, great."

"How the fuck?" Tony exclaims, and Thor grits his teeth, sending him a look of warning. "Sorry, sorry, continue."

"Perhaps the fact that the school he teaches at jumped from number 100 in the country to number five in a year should have set off some SHIELD alarms."

"Perhaps," Steven says, frowning. "Ten years is a long time, Director Fury."

"It is, Captain, which is why we have come to suspect that he is planning something. Something big, bigger than the last time."

"What would you call interdimensional war then?" Banner asks. "That was pretty big."

"But this, this is going to be bigger," Coulson says. He taps at the projection until more pictures of that smart, beautiful face are displayed. "We're going about this a different way. We don't want to set him off, and we don't want to cause any unnecessary confrontation."

"LOL, 'confrontation.'" Stark looks away from the glare Thor directs at him, reddening.

"Which is why we're sending you in, Thor." Director Fury and Coulson turn to stare at him as if they suspect him to get up and leave. Ten years, he's waited ten Midgardian years, and he is willing to wait ten more as long as his brother is safe, alive. "This school he teaches at will be experiencing a sudden opening in the position of English teacher next week. We want you to fill that opening."

"You can't be serious?" Steven says. "How can we know he will not attack?"

"We can't," Coulson says, "but we have a hitch that he will not, at least not in front of the kids."

"But I am not willing to take that risk!" he shouts. "We can't endanger civilian lives, let alone the lives of children!"

"But it is not your decision to make, Captain," Director Fury says.

"Thor, are you in?" Coulson asks.

The answer is obvious. "Yes," he says, standing up. "I am 'in.'"

"Oh god, here we go..."

He feels triumphant as he stands there and gets debriefed by Coulson and Director Fury.

Loki. He's going to see his Loki.

**Loki**

"Ten years, eh?"

He glances up at Albert and takes in the man's forever jolly persona. For such a person who teaches of blood baths and treachery, he is perpetually happy. With aforementioned ten years, he's learned to adjust to the man's initially annoying need to insert himself into Loki's life. Now, he does not know what his life would be like without the man to bring in Granny Smith apple pies and mint-flavored cookies.

"Ten years and you've become one of the best teachers in the country," he says, nodding along. "Come quite a way, haven't we?"

Loki brings his hands under his chin and glances down at the schoolyard. It's recess, so there are children out there: fifth graders, ten year olds. Hm, ten, the magic number for him it seems with the recent calls he's gotten from downstairs. Good behavior could only last so long.

"Yes," he replies, "we have."

With the decade of Midgardian years that's passed, only a short turn of the sun has occurred in Asgard. It's as if he were only there yesterday, twisting his clammy hands and ignoring the telltale thrum inside of him of another's magic.

He only half-misses it.

"What do you say about going out for something to eat after school?" Albert grins. "There's something to celebrate, you know?"

He looks up just as the bell rings and stands. "That sounds alright," he says, "provided I do not get any calls."

He chuckles. "Yes, yes, terrible tens then, right? The two of them are quite the pair."

"If they could learn to keep their hands off of each other, I would be pleased, but I do not always get the things I want." He exhales, hearing the own angst in his voice. Even after all of these years, it's still there, an open wound that he can only pack and pack, draining when it gets too much. A fraction of his life, but still enough to create such an impact. "I will see you later then."

"Yeah, good luck."

His last class is a group of tenth graders though the odd ninth grader sits among their ranks. They stare at him with a mixture of awe, and natural teenage need to fight authority. It's only three weeks into the school year, so there's time to break their spirits into something more… grateful. Each year, he gets new students who believe he is merely a man unworthy of much more than contempt, but even in his life as a mortal man, he is not a man.

"Ava 2," Ava Smith, turns around in her seat, completely uncharacteristic of her, but Loki continues to teach, his eyes on her back. When she turns back to face him, she wears a smile and lifts her hand, counting off to three.

At three, the back row of girls, the ones that lean on their elbows and entertain impossible thoughts about Loki during class, start to sing in a high falsetto, the lyrics instantly ringing a bell in his head as a song he's been sung throughout the years by the "smart Alec" looking to make a fool of him. It always ends badly for them though five months of detention is not that bad of a punishment.

The rest of the class joins in, hand claps and beat boxing from Ryan Taylor joining the rendition of "You Can't Always Get What You Want."

Perhaps it is partially his fault for taking a liking to the phrase, "You cannot always get what you desire," or some variant when replying to a student pleading when Loki refuses to accept their late work. Two years into teaching, a student felt the need to play the song from their StarkPod—such a name used to make him gag— in response to him asking why they were snickering. His studies of American pop culture did not consist of songs from decades farther than the 80s, so a song from 1969 is not one he could be expected to recognize.

He pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head, waiting patiently for the song to come to a close.

They stare at him with unsure grins.

"Thank you, class, that was quite… entertaining," he says, crossing his arms. "Now, to get back to Chemistry…"

The whispers of inquiry about whether he liked it or not continue throughout class, and Loki makes no motion to stop it, finding himself suppressing a smile at how worried they seem to be over such a thing. It could almost warm his heart.

"I will see you all Monday," he says, and he gives a two fingered wave to a fretful Ava as she passes, the girl breaking out into a grin before going off to report her findings to her sycophants.

A class without a call is a good class, but it makes for an anxious walk downstairs to see if the silence is merely an effect to something finally happening. All of his sensibilities should point to protecting the students, but as he walks, he can only think of whether they'll have killed each other with lightning or spell casting. His books have been going missing, and Loki is no fool, all too aware of them conjuring light beneath their blankets in the late hours. He started with light too.

Fire was the next thing he learned to conjure.

He lets out an exhale when he sees the two of them standing in two pieces, of course opposite each other and wearing twin—obviously—glares directed at the other. The relief is quickly replaced by annoyance because this is as if he's looking through a portal to the past however jumbled the exteriors are: Loptr the pensive blond and Hloridi the boastful raven-haired one. One could say the All-Father oversaw their conception himself as some lesson to Loki that one should love their brother.

The difference is that Loptr and Hloridi _are_ brothers, blood brothers. He knows. He birthed them himself.

"Father," they both greet at once, sending glares again simply for that.

He puts a hand on either of their shoulders and leads them from the school, sharing a relieved look with an understanding Albert.

"Hello, boys."

"Professor Lavert," Hloridi says, inclining his head.

"_Hej_," Loptr says, lifting a hand and waving.

"Ready for some lunch?" he asks, and both of the boys don't reply, so Loki sends them looks of warning that get, "Yeah, sure," and, "Mhm," in return.

When Loptr goes to get inside the car first, Hloridi shoves him aside and slides in with a, "Gotcha," his new phrase to use against his brother. It would be easy to simply tell him to apologize, but the fact that Loptr punches him in response muddles up what would otherwise be simple. 24 hours of unnecessary sibling rivalry since December 21st as if their birthday was the reason for the change in their relationship dynamic.

It's not. Loki has done the basic check for any sorcery against his children, and not even Amora the Enchantress can break through the Loki-constructed and birth-given yields of magic that surround them. Well, no one except for each other.

"Don't touch me!"

"You touched me first!"

"I despise you!"

"No, you don't!"

Loki brakes, casting a brief glance in the rear-view mirror to watch his sons flail for stability. He smiles and continues down the road, Albert attempting to conceal his laugh as they grumble about his questionable driving skills. He can drive fine, but with their fighting, he's willing to have their opinions be skewed because of brake checks.

Hloridi pulls his chair out for his brother, but Loptr crosses his arms and refuses to be "treated like a girl."

"Well you look like one!"

"Then you do too!"

"Sit down," Loki says, offering them a smile. "Now."

They fall into their chairs, elbowing each other for table space.

"Remove your elbows from the table," he says, glancing down at the menu and deciding what he wants. "Are you Midgardians?"

They both stop. "No!" they exclaim.

Albert chuckles. "Your obsession with Norse mythology is rubbing off on your children."

"'Mythology,'" Loptr says as they both snicker. They can find common ground on Albert's ignorance.

"So, you hear that Professor Grun is getting replaced?"

Loki reaches across the table and moves Hloridi's elbow from it with a warning look. "No," he replies, "is there a reason why?"

"Some government job," Albert says with a shrug. "I told her we wished her good luck."

"Yes, good luck to her."

His experience with the government of the United States of America has been rather… stilted with his… failed invasion though it was not his fault but the fault of his stupid, stupid need to be seen as "good" in the eyes of his brother. He's gotten over the denial of why he let them beat him and has gotten over scoffing at Coulson's declaration of him "lacking conviction" after he only wounded the man. He lacked conviction then and did for quite a bit until he realized that he was no longer living for only himself. All conviction Coulson claimed he lacked surfaced, and he did what had to be done.

Green and blue eyes stare at him from across the table knowingly. His sons have been aware of the evils he committed since they could understand the concept of wrong and right. They know that there is no black and white, but a spectrum stretching between them. Their father falls in the gray area though he was in the black area those years ago. Loptr and Hloridi's quick dismissal of his crimes and the following embrace actually brought tears to his eyes.

"Can I have your chicken?" Hloridi asks.

"Only if I can have your turkey."

"But I want my turkey." He pouts.

"Then, no, you cannot have it." The look that Loptr wears is Loki's look, the one he gave his brother too many times during their childhood. "Well, you can have one piece—I said one!"

Hloridi grins and chews on the meat, and Loki watches with horror as Loptr touches his finger to his brother's bicep, a flash of white then darkness around them.

"Oops."

Loki clenches his jaw and shuts his eyes, remembering the love he holds for them.

"Hey, that was kind of… cool," Hloridi says. "You should teach me to do that some time."

"Sure."

Albert reappears as the curtains are pushed open, their corner of the restaurant yet again bathed in light. "Wow, that was strange."

He glares at the two of them as they try to hide their grins and chuckles behind their hands. "Get up."

"But, Father-"

"Now." He needn't raise his voice for them to know when he's serious.

They both stand as they murmur apologies to him, eyes downcast. The first time he saw them sad, he was stricken by the image of a younger golden haired boy kneeling in front of him and begging to be forgiven for tearing the page from one of his books in a vengeful tantrum. By sheer will, he managed to carry through with the punishment of complete silence for three hours though he hugged them afterward and blinked away tears. Ten years has given him practice against that look.

"Wait, Loki, I'm sure they didn't mean-"

"Albert," he says, turning a sharp look on him. "They must learn the hard way."

Albert's face falls, and Loki cocks an eyebrow. The man is emotional, but something as an occurrence common as this should not have such an effect on him. "Okay, okay, let's go." He puts a hand on each other their shoulders. "Why can't you two pretend to be Midgardians for a day? Do you wish to anger the gods?"

They giggle, and Loki looks on at the sight of the three of them walking in front of him. In some parallel universe, he and Albert are happily married and Hloridi and Loptr are their own, but in this universe, Albert is the other parental figure they will never have.

One thing he regrets is that he must keep that opportunity from them.

Albert's skittishness worsens when they turn onto their street, and the disturbance in the outer yields strikes him microseconds after.

Each yield they pass through and the disturbance gets heavier and heavier with foreign and familiar energies, Midgardian energies. The average Midgardian has the magic power of a rock troll, which means that there are more than a few Midgardians awaiting their arrival.

"Father-"

"I know, Hloridi," he says, gritting his teeth. He clutches the steering wheel as the gate opens, ascending the driveway with dread for what he knows is coming.

Albert gets out of the car, leaving the three of them, and his attempt at stealth is glancing around and bending at the knees before going up the stairs and disappearing behind the hedges. The man has never abused his possession of a spare key in such a way, and Loki has half the mind to demand it back, but the man is only Midgardian, a harmless Midgardian incapable of proving a threat to the twins with their budding powers.

"Father, I feel them," Hloridi says. "I can feel them all."

"I can too."

103 people stand inside, all hidden behind furniture or inside closets.

"Come," he says, and he walks in front of his two sons, sticking his chin out as he prepares to pretend that he knows nothing of this surprise party. An exhale and he opens the front door, holding out a hand behind his back before taking a step inside.

"Surprise!"

Faculty and graduated students alike move from behind their places of hiding, blowing party favors and waving their hands around. They grin, but do not swarm him, knowing all too well how he will react to that. An assembly in his first teaching year got the message about personal space out clearly.

"We got you good!" Jennifer exclaims, jumping up and down. "You should have seen your face!"

"I know!" Martin and Albert exchange a high five, Loki barely keeping his smile on his face. "We have tricked the trickster!"

With the jokes they make, he would have thought they would put together the fact that he is _the_ Loki, but the fallout from his past exploits did not extend as far as Maine. The recent integration of modern warfare into history should have been the moment Albert realized who he was. His glasses do not conceal him that much, and his dress is quite different though still in green and black hues. Willing ignorance comes to mind. Maine, an oft forgotten state that's provided to be a very good place to remain incognito.

"Professor Laufeyson!" Nate Laut, one of the first students he saw their entire four years in secondary school, pats him on the shoulder, quickly realizing his mistake and pulling away. "Congrats on the ten years! Wow, Lori and Lop!"

The two of them smile at him, Loptr shaking his hand and Hloridi bumping his fist.

"So, how's it going?" Nate asks. "You look as young as you did back then, so I'm guessing the stress isn't getting to you."

"There is no stress," he replies. "Inconveniences, but stress is… pointless."

"Now that's something you'd say," he replies, teeth twinkling. "Be sure to live a little tonight. I didn't fly from LA for nothing, did I?"

Why Midgardians seem to like him? Perhaps it's their appreciation for his intelligence, or it is their carnal instincts causing them to gravitate toward his inhuman attractiveness. That seems like a more plausible explanation.

He grits his teeth and bares the congratulations and grins he gets, reaching out and feeling his sons' glowing red and green energies when he feels his patience slipping. Ten years of teaching has not increased his tolerance for prolonged social interaction with these… beings.

Eric shakes his hand at the end of the night, the ever-present smirk on his face as he brings his fingers over the inside of Loki's wrist. "I hope you stay around forever," he says. "Grun's leaving the English department, but I'd rather it be her than you."

Hloridi stares at Eric from his place on the stairs, something metallic buzzing in the air.

"I will see you Monday, Eric."

He waves goodbye to Hloridi who simply replies, "Professor Hring," in a tone so much like the man who is half of him. Eric's brows furrow though he takes the hint and leaves.

"I despise him."

"Why?" Loki replies, walking to the now-empty kitchen.

"He's attempting to move in on you," Loptr says, looking up from his game. "I despise him too."

He sighs and puts away a left-out tray of hors d'oeuvres. This conversation happens once a week, sometimes more when a man who happens to not look completely terrible expresses any interest in Loki. Ten year old Midgardians should not be so intuitive, but ten year old Asgardians should. "I do not like Eric though I owe you no explanations, which brings me to my point," he says, turning back around, "you are both being sent to the library."

They groan loudly, Hloridi hitting his hand on the counter.

"I expect you to read the volume about developing powers in the Aesir."

The corner Loptr's lip quirks up, and Hloridi over exaggerates a furrowed brow.

"You will not shock each other anymore, understood?"

Loptr lifts his hand as he keeps eye contact with Loki, Hloridi slapping it away.

"Understood?"

"Yes, Father, the best god of all of the gods." Their original intent was to mock Loki, but it's turned into an endearment, one he looks forward to after these "punishments."

"And boys?"

They both stop and turn to him, ears twitching.

"The fire extinguisher is beneath the desk."

They run off, the sounds of giggles filling the halls for the first time in days.

Thor

"I knew you cleaned up well, but damn, 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' is going to be your theme song."

He smiles at Stark in the mirror as he finishes his tie. Such fashions have grown on him though he sees no point in ties. They are restrictive and offer an adversary an opportunity to seize one by the neck. "I know of no such song."

"JARVIS, play it!"

"No, JARVIS, don't play it." Steven leans in the doorway beside his betrothed, arms crossed. He still disapproves. The years of being in control have given him an inflated sense of authority though Thor scoffs at such authority. He respects the man, but he is no All-father. "Well, you look swell, Thor."

"Thank you, Steven." He smoothes the silk down before turning around to face them. "The current hour?"

"6:36."

"AKA, too fucking early to be up." Tony points a finger into Steven's chest. "You should carry me back to bed."

Steven rolls his eyes. "Thor, we should get going if you want to make it on time."

He drapes the tuxedo jacket over his arm and follows a complaining Tony and Steven, grabbing his bag from the coat rack as he passes. He slings it over his shoulder and takes in the sunshine, letting out a sigh.

"Maine sucks."

"Tony, please."

Thor sits opposite Steven, turning to peer out the window and at the green scenery when the car begins its journey. He quite likes Maine, its climate is a great balance of warmth and cold, and autumn is turning the leaves a beautiful gold that reminds him of home.

Home.

He exhales, remembering his father's look of disapproving after being told about their plan. He didn't say much, but his silence spoke volumes. When Loki first disappeared, he had the same reaction, and he was in no hurry to go and find Loki, much to Thor's chagrin. Now he cannot stop him. No one will stop Thor from seeing Loki.

"Looks like we're to the source of all evil," Tony says.

Thor looks around the sprawling school of brick and mortar, students in dark green blazers and slacks moving around the front of the building. Green, the color of Loki.

There's a scream from atop the stairs where a pointing girl stands motionless. "Oh my god, it's Thor! Wait, the Avengers!"

"You see why this was a bad idea?" Steven says, coming to stand beside him.

As if the girl's voice holds the life to the undead, the students all stop and rush forward, their shrieks and screams filling the previously-serene air.

Steven cups his mouth to shout, but Thor needs no such things.

"Children, halt!" he says, and all motion stops, lifting hands falling to sides and jumping bodies landing with soft huffs. He gives Steven a look of pride before stepping forward and glancing from face to face. "I am not here on duty as an Avenger, but as an instructor!"

"I'm here because-" Tony stops. "I don't know why I'm here, but you're all annoying!"

"You are too!" a tall boy shouts, sticking his chin out. "Iron man!"

"That's not an insult, but the truth!" Tony shouts. "Get something better, giraffe!"

Steven touches Tony's shoulders. "Tony, please, you are making a fool of yourself."

"If you would all part so I can continue my journey." He walks up the center of the stairs, nodding greetings to the awestruck students. A pair of green eyes makes him pause, but the eyes are lost in the crowd. He continues forward, feeling a strange prickling on his skin. Perhaps there will be a storm today.

Tony's complaints increase as they wait for the headmaster, only ceasing when Steven whispers something in his ear that makes him grin and yearn for a bed.

A brown-haired man exits a door, eyes widening when he sees them. "You must be our new teacher," he says, shaking Thor's hand. He winces when he pulls away, and Thor offers him an apologetic look. "I am Headmaster Pierce Gron. We are pleased to have you among our ranks."

"Pierce, did you see what just—oh, hello." A blonde woman stops in front of him. "Wow, is Thor the God of Thunder standing in our office."

"Yes," Headmaster Gron replies, "and he's the reason for whatever you saw no doubt."

"He parted the green sea," Tony says.

Headmaster Gron shakes his hand and shakes Steven's as well, inclining his head as he thinks him for his military service. It's good to see he appreciates the Midgardian warriors as his own people appreciate theirs. "This is Professor Jennifer Verde. She is the art teacher."

Thor kisses her hand. "I am pleased to meet you, Professor Verde."

"Um… yeah, me too." She nods. "You're—he's the new teacher?"

"Yes, Jennifer, he is." The headmaster offers Thor an apologetic look. "If you would follow me to your classroom. I must warn you that there are more students arriving, so we may have a few encounters mirroring the one you just had."

He laughs. "I will not fret."

"I'm sure he's got that handled," Steven says, and small boy that passes them freezes in his tracks and stares at Steven with wide-eyes. He drops a notebook on the ground, one with a very familiar shield on its front.

"Aw, Steve, we got a fan," Tony says.

The boy picks up the notebook. "C-Captain America! Captain America!"

"I am sure you have this handled, Steven, and Tony will be obliged to help, will he not?" he says, offering him a grin. "Headmaster, shall we continue?"

A few green-blazer wearing students begin to jump up and down at the sight of him, one boy ripping open his shirt to reveal Mjolnir on the front. That boy earns a hug from Thor, but not one for unfairness, Thor gives ones to his companions.

"I have a feeling your entire day is going to be composed of you hugging students." Headmaster Gron pushes open and door, and Thor follows him inside the empty classroom, taking in the barren décor. "Especially since your classes are fourth graders, fifth graders, eighth graders, and a class of seniors after lunch."

He sets his bag down on the desk, pulling out Mjolnir and the box of desk supplies Steven insisted on buying him. He pulls out the Newton Balls as Bruce called them and sets them in the corner of his desk, smiling at the faces painted on them, his on one end and Steven's on the other, the rest of the Avengers in the middle.

"Wow, so that's the hammer then?" The headmaster stares at Mjolnir with child-like awe, his fairly professional persona gone. "I mean… wow. It's nice."

Thor grins. "Yes," he says, "it is."

The first student to arrive starts to scream, and Thor is forced to calm her down with two hands on the shoulder and a smile. She nods and takes her seat, staring at him as if he is a threat.

A group of boys come into the class, loud and rowdy. They turn and look at him, exchanging a glance before surrounding his desk and asking a plethora of questions.

He holds his hand up and dismisses them to their seats, watching as more awestruck children enter the room and go to their seats as they stare at him. At the sound of the bell, he stands. "As you all know, I am Professor Thor Odinson, your new teacher of the subject English. You are also aware that I am an Avenger though I am not here on direct duty. Today will be a day of introduction as any other instructor would hold, so I will take your questions."

Their hands shoot up simultaneously, so Thor goes by alphabetical order, a boy with the surname Zeke groaning and complaining like a young Tony Stark.

The questions are all the same, period after period, and Thor answers them with ease.

The bell rings for fifth period, and all students but one fills in their seats.

"Is there one of you miss-?"

A boy enters the room, his blue eyes meeting Thor's as if a mirror, and he walks to his desk, gaze unwavering. A shiver runs down Thor's spine as he remembers one other giving him such a look though the color staring back was different. "There's a pass coming," he says. "Mr. Lavert wrote it for me."

Thor stares at him as he takes his seat, gulping down the lump in his throat and looking away. He hears the ping from the desk and looks down at the display in the center, seeing a bright green square appear on the screen. He looks back up at the watching class.

He continues with the same introduction as his previous classes, and it goes the same until he points at a boy sitting in the front.

"So, how heavy is your hammer?"

"It is weightless," he replies, "providing one is worthy of wielding it."

"Yeah, Luke, worthy."

"I am worthy!" Luke stands and walks up to his desk, carrying a childish arrogance about him. "I can lift it."

Thor cocks an eyebrow, staring at this boy with amusement. "I invite you to," he says.

"Oh, Luke, he thinks you can't!" a boy shouts, goading. Volstagg did the same during their childhood, and more than often, Thor fell victim.

Luke gives him an anxious look before he reaches forward and wraps his hands around Mjolnir's handle, shutting his eyes. He gives a grunt and lets go when he realizes that his attempts will be futile.

Thor claps on the shoulder. "Not many are worthy, young warrior. Perhaps one day you will be."

He returns to his seat with a smile, and Thor lifts Mjolnir, garnering coos and interjections.

"None of you are worthy of wielding Mjolnir, not because of your actions, but because of your youth. I, myself, have been unworthy of holding this hammer, and I was left without it to protect me." He pauses and thinks back to the Destroyer, making eye contact with the boy who was late and looking away. "I am much older than you can fathom, and even I have much to learn."

"Did you know dinosaurs?" a boy asks, and everyone laughs, the bell ringing overhead.

He sets Mjolnir down on the desk and goes to tap the green pop-up, wondering what that boy's name is.

"You know, it's not _that_ heavy." The boy stands in front of his desk, smile cocky in a way that makes Thor… proud. "See?" Thor prepares to chuckle and remind him of his words, but the boy's hand comes around Mjolnir, and she lifts from the desk! "It is weightless like he always says." He sets Mjolnir back down on the desk. "Goodbye, Thor."

The lilt of his voice around those last two words makes him feel a shock of cold, but once he has regained enough composure, he decides that he has to tell his friends.

Thor grabs Mjolnir and his bag, skirting through the crowds of students and out to the waiting car, staring at his waiting group of five friends with wide-eyes.

"Dude, what happened?" Clint asks. "Did your brother, like, tell you his plans?"

He ignores the implication of his words. "A student moved Mjolnir."

They stare at him with the same blank looks. A decade and they still do not understand the severity of a student moving his hammer, the hammer that only moves for those worthy. No Midgardian child has proven themselves worthy in his millennia of travelling the realms.

"No way. A kid?"

"He moved it. I saw it with my own two eyes." He narrows his eyes at an incredulous Steven. "Do you believe I spin?"

He sighs. "No, Thor, I just… Let's go get something to eat."

The image of that spiny hand lifting Mjolnir from the desk replays in his mind, blocking out the landscape. It is so impossible yet it happened, and Thor saw it. A mere boy lifting his hammer. A boy is worthy enough to lift Mjolnir.

Another spiny hand around his hammer appears in his mind, an unsure grin on his face as he looked up. And beyond that shock of proving worthy was something else, something more than his usual thrum of magic, but as fast as it came, it was gone with Loki.

"So, tell me, Professor Odinson, any jailbait?" Tony's voice breaks through his thoughts.

Steven slaps Tony, and Clint proceeds to explain what jailbait is much to Thor's disgust.

**Loki**

"Thor's here."

He looks up from the desktop and stares at Hloridi. His face is serious, lacking the usual twinkle of mischief it has when he attempts to pull a prank. He is not yet skilled enough to lie like Loki can, and Loki's taking advantage of that.

Hloridi falls into a desk. "I just came from his class. He replaced Professor Grun."

Loki blinks at his son. "Thor as in-?"

"Yes, my father." He shrugs his shoulders, looking dejected. "He's… the same from what you've told me. I don't know why he's here, but he said he's not 'directly on duty' for the Avengers."

"Father! Father! Father!" Loptr stops in the doorway. "Thor's here! I saw him this morning, but-"

"I just told him that, you imbecile!"

"No, you're the imbecile!" Loptr sits beside his brother. "Iron man was with him! Steve was there too, but—Iron man, Father! Iron man!"

"Why do you worship a man in a suit of armor? He is weak without it."

"He's a genius!" He stands up. "Look around you, brother! Tony Stark has made all of this technology!"

Loki runs a hand over his hair, exhaling. There are so many questions he has, but his sons will be of no help while they bicker. He can only find out for himself, and with the staff members and what he knows of them, it should be easy to find out.

"Clint is better anyway." Hloridi stands. "Come on. Let's get lunch."

He watches the two of them disappear out of the door, Hloridi's hand on his brother's shoulder as he attempts to elaborate on why the hawk man is better than Stark. The hawk man has good aim though Loki is better at catching.

Albert walks into his room with their lunch as usual, setting the plate in front of Loki before he pulls up a chair and begins to eat.

"Who is Professor Odinson?" he asks, pushing the steak around his plate.

"Oh, Thor? Yes, I got to write a pass to his class, you know that?" He grins. "How insane is that? It was for your son of course, but-"

Loki straightens up. Thor is thick, but not _that_ thick, and he has to know that Loki teaches here. Fortunately they have not encountered each other, but Loki _is_ the best teacher this school has. He's one the top teachers in the world. Every teacher knows him and talks about him. He hears them.

"I saw him go get lunch with the Avengers. That's insane, isn't it?"

"Yes, 'insane,'" he replies. He listens to Albert change the topic to an impromptu assembly held in the auditorium earlier after it was discovered that Steven was signing autographs. When he tells about the look on Steven's face when he saw the line, Loki takes joy in the Captain's discomfort. The man out of time still hasn't adjusted very well, has he?

"Later, you should come with me to get an autograph from the Black Widow."

Loki snorts. "Natasha Romanoff? She is a vixen with more bodies on her kill record than—Albert, you have a crush on that woman. I should have foreseen such a woman would be your type."

"What? I can appreciate her independence!"

He rolls his eyes. "'Independence."

When he teaches his next class, he cannot help but send glances toward the door in search of a familiar blond head.

**Thor**

He loosens his tie as Bruce answers one of the boy's questions about gamma radiation.

Bruce clears his throat and sends him a curious look, Thor shaking his head and offering him a smile. "I advise you not to go through gamma radiation bombardment," he says, the young men and woman chuckling. "Professor Odinson, have anything to add?"

"No, but I would like to add that turning into a massive green monster is not advised either."

He feels thankful that Bruce was the one who volunteered to stay with him for the rest of the day with Steven insisted that someone be there in case another Midgardian boy decided to lift Mjolnir. If it had been Steven himself, his classes would have ended up becoming a lesson about safety and avoiding underage drinking. The mead in Asgard was always at his fingertips, so he knows the allure of such drinks. These young humans should be able to live their lives in happiness.

The bell rings and the students leave, nodding them farewells and one boy shaking Bruce's hand as he expresses his admiration for his research.

"So, a free period then?"

Thor sits down at his desk and watches as Bruce taps the green pop-up, doing him the favor of caring for the boy's attendance. The thought comes back to him just as Bruce looks up at him with a cocked brow.

"Hloridi L?" He pulls his glasses from his shirt pocket and slides them on. "Yep, Hloridi L. Thor, who is Hloridi L?"

"A boy who looks rather like my brother."

"Well, let's assume that they're somehow related," Bruce says, zooming in on a picture he tapped. "Wow, he looks like him, but the eyes are different. Long lost cousin he came to protect or turn evil?"

Thor rubs at his chin. "Perhaps."

"He's cute in a kid-ly way."

He turns an amused look on Bruce. "Kid-ly?"

"Yeah, what? He looks like a kid you'd want to buy ice cream even if he called your mom fat or something." Bruce rubs at his eyes. "I don't know."

The bell rings after fifty minutes, and he and Bruce watch as students start to file into the room. They share a laugh when one boy starts singing the theme song to the cartoon make in their likenesses, getting another girl to join him.

When the bell rings, he gets them all to quiet down but notices an empty seat. Remembering earlier, he does not bother with asking, staring at the door expectantly.

"I'm here! I'm here!"

Bruce's jaw drops, and he looks from Thor to the boy standing there.

"I'm here! I'm here!" he shouts again, waving his arms around. Eyes that don't belong to him but to someone else blink on his face as he stares at Bruce and Thor. "I have a pass."

"Hey, you two look alike," a girl says, and Tony's often stated, "Captain Obvious in the room," comes to mind.

Bruce stands up and goes to the boy, offering his hand. "Bruce Banner."

The boy takes his hand and shakes it, blond head nodding. "Loptr." He pulls his hand away and looks to Thor again with _those_ eyes, ones that don't belong on that face. That face belongs to the boy from earlier. "Professor Odinson, right?"

"Jeez, Lop, sit down," a boy says.

"Yeah, we wanna ask questions!"

Bruce goes around the desk to take care of attendance, and Thor starts the question and answer session, eyes avoiding Loptr's alone.

With dread, he gestures for the last raised hand to ask their question.

"Do you like my brother?" Loptr asks.

Bruce and Thor exchange a look.

"I found him to be… interesting."

"Hm, that's what my father always says," he replies. "I think he's full of himself. Father says he gets it from his-" He snaps his mouth shut, turning red. "I mean, um, nice hammer."

He wishes to urge Loptr on, but he knows that there is a different setting for such a conversation, and this is not it.

When the bell rings, Loptr sidles up to his desk, wearing that same cocky grin as his brother did. "I bet Lori lifted the hammer, right? I'm so telling Father. He's going to get in so much trouble."

"Do you not have a place to be?" Bruce asks.

"My Father always comes to get me from the front of this classroom," he replies. "So you know Tony Stark, right? Is he really as smart as he seems to be?"

Bruce and Loptr start to talk about Tony's genius while Thor runs a hand over his face in confusion and apprehension. He doesn't understand how this happened without gaining his attention. Loki has children?

"Wait, my brother's here. I'm coming!" he exclaims, opening the door, but as he goes to exit, Hloridi enters, shoving him out of the way.

"Um, that's not nice?" Bruce offers, shrugging. The man can scare creatures large and strong, but children he holds no domain over like Thor does. Yet another trait he has that Bruce lacks.

"I hate you!"

"I hate you too!"

"That's why you're adopted!"

"You idiot, that means you're adopted too!"

"Oh, okay, good," Loptr says. "We were chosen then."

They share a hug, and Bruce and him exchange yet another look.

"Come on," Hloridi says. "Father sent me for you."

"Oh," Loptr says nodding, "I understand. Bye, Professor Odinson, and bye, Bruce. Hey could you tell Tony-?" He's yanked out of the door by his brother.

"Wow."

"Quite."

The rest of their friends join them in the classroom shortly after the departure of the two brothers.

"We think Loki's got kids."

Tony gags. "Ew, he procreated?"

"We are unsure of that as of yet, Stark," Thor replies, glaring at him. "They could be related through other means."

"Isn't it… possible though?" Steven asks. "Can't he…?"

"Yes, Steve, Loki can give birth," Natasha says. "You've read the myths, right?"

"Those stories of Loki's births are fabricated," Thor says. "He has the capability of having children through those means, but he has not. Loki prefers his solitude and independence."

"Well, you said he has kids now." Clint shrugs. "Are they evil?"

"Nope." Bruce beckons them over. "They're pretty cute in a kid-ly way."

"I like kid-ly cute."

Thor agrees though he does not say as such. If these children are in fact Loki's own, it will come as no surprise. Loki was quite cute as a child.

But he was beautiful as an adult—is beautiful, and when Thor sees him, he will get to see with his own two eyes again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Professor Thor Odinson **Loki**

"Father, Thor seems nice."

Loki glances up in the rearview mirror and looks at Loptr's simper, one so reminiscent of the man he's speaking of.

"He's not 'nice,'" Hloridi says, rolling his eyes. "He's cheerful. There's quite a difference, right, Father?"

He groans inwardly, knowing that this is devolving to a fight already. They just met their father hours ago, and he has somehow become a source of conflict. It is not his fault of course. Mashed potatoes can become a source of conflict with the two of them.

"Thor is… bright."

"Told you!" They exclaim at once.

"Bright is a synonym for nice!"

"No," Hloridi says with another one of his eye rolls, "bright means cheerful. Thor has a bright aura, but that does not make him a nice person."

He could break in and tell them that they're both wrong, that Thor is not simply nice or cheerful, but his sons know him too well and will sense his apprehension at Thor's sudden reappearance in his new life.

They send glares at each other as Loki follows them into the studio, pointedly going in opposite doors. They continue that way to the elevator, hitting the buttons and arguing which one will come first.

Loki sighs and wills them both to come, smirking when both doors open and they scowl at each other.

"Father, come with me!"

"No, come with me!"

He goes with neither of them, snapping his fingers and appearing in front of the two elevators a few floors up.

"Unfair!" Hloridi shouts, Loptr screaming his agreement as both of them join him. "You cannot teleport!"

"According to whom?" Perhaps it is not the best example to not use magic, but they will learn that their father will not be bested by childish ultimatums.

He stands among the mothers and watches as his sons set aside their differences to help each other plié. Watching his sons grumble about Thor—their other father—as they twist and leap is both parts entertaining and unfortunate. Loki did what had to be done then, and they understand though they will never get back the loss of not experiencing both parents.

The love he holds for them is unlike any he's ever felt, so unique in the regard that he welcomes it. The love of a parent, the kind that he was never truly given. If given another chance to choose between the path of parenthood or continuing his life as a lover and brother, he would without a doubt retake the same one: parenthood.

"I hate you!" Loptr shoves his brother down, and Loki's moving toward the two of them. "You take that back!"

"It's the truth! You are_ Thor's_ son!" Hloridi throws his brother off. "It is why Father will always love me more!"

He claps a hand over Hloridi's mouth and lifts the squirming boy over his shoulder. Such words are never, ever to be said. He raised them to be better than petty insults.

Loptr attempts to grab his brother's hair, but he's caught mid-jump, Loki holding him under his arm. "Thor loves me better! He told me so!"

"Enough!" He binds them in their places on the locker room bench. "You two are despicable for saying such things to each other!"

Their tears come simultaneously, followed by identical sobs.

Loki exhales, turning his back to them. "You meet your father and suddenly you are fanatics for parental favoritism? Is nothing I say to you relevant? Are you suddenly so full of hatred that you care not for the things I have told you?"

"I-I'm sorry, Father." Hloridi hiccups. "We didn't mean to!"

"Then why did you, hm? Is there someone else in control of your actions?" He pinches the bridge of his nose and unbinds them. "Dress. We will eat dinner, and you will go to bed immediately."

The other parents attempt looks of sympathy, but Loki only returns a glare, feeling as though it is him against the realms yet again.

**Thor**

Thor stares at the picture projected in the center of the table, drawing his fingers through the image and spinning the small model of Loptr. It's as if he is looking at an image of his younger self though the eyes on that face are juxtaposed from another—his brother.

"I bet he's truly a demon beneath all that," Clint says as he takes a seat across from him. "Loki probably morphed him from his demon form into that to get to you."

He draws his finger over the surface, and Hloridi joins his brother, already familiar smirk on his face. "They are merely children," he says. "I can… sense it."

He remembers the prickle on the surface of his skin as they stood adjacent, doppelgangers only of different hair and eyes.

"Well, creepy then." Clint goes to touch the projected Hloridi, but Thor banishes the model back into the world of circuits and currents. "Sorry, sorry didn't mean to insult your nephews."

Ten Midgardian years, a mere second of their lifespan, and Loki laid with another as if the shared touches were nothing more than something to entertain himself until he bored of Thor and moved on to other activities, other people. Thor was sure that it would be different that time, and even his surety did not change the inevitability of Loki's departure.

He had not even bothered with a farewell.

In the morn, he sits down at the unoccupied table to his usual breakfast. Such matters shall not ruin his day. This is the day that he will see Loki, no arguments.

"I should apologize." Steven sits down beside him. "I am still… wary of this, and I just want everyone to be safe. I don't mean to seem-"

"Tyrannical?" Thor smiles at him. "Fear not, Captain, I do not hold such things close to my heart."

Steven pats him on the shoulder. "Your nephews… I don't think they're evil or anything. I wouldn't put that on children. Kids aren't their parents."

Though he disagrees with their opinions of his brother, he does appreciate the sentiment of his words. The Loki they met was not the one that Thor knows, not the one that he last saw Loki as.

"Good morning, my comrades," he says as Clint and Natasha enter the kitchen, a very tired looking Bruce feet behind.

"Morning, Thor," Clint replies, sitting down across from him. He eyes Thor's plate before Natasha sets his own in front of him, and Thor is relieved to be spared of such a pointless confrontation.

"I still think it's too damn early to be up." Tony presses a kiss to Steven's cheek before he takes his own seat. "I'm an adult. I shouldn't have to get up for school."

"So, you're going today?"

Thor turns to look at Tony. If the man accompanies him, his day will be filled with lots of entertainment. The man of iron has more tricks up those sleeves of his besides his technology, and his students will appreciate it. Perhaps Tony will even contribute to his planned lesson of the day.

He lifts his mug of coffee. "Yep. I'm on demon duty."

Clint begins to laugh. "Tony Stark's teacher assistant? Watch out, Tony. A kid might kick you in the balls like you've needed all these years."

"If they do," he says, "I'll get my boyfriend on them. Who isn't intimidated by Captain America?"

Thor would raise his hand if he if were not occupied by a fork and Steven's apology had not occurred moments before.

Bruce takes his glasses off and looks at Tony. "By the way, Tony, Mini-Thor loves you."

"What?" Clint frowns. "How can he like _you_?"

"You act like that's a good thing," Tony says. "Loki probably did it on purpose. Still trying to kill me."

"The boy holds no ill will toward you, Stark." He stands. "Come and prepare to depart."

Tony's incessant need to voice his distaste for the Maine scenery is silenced with one mention of Thor's lack of seeing his brother, and the topic is changed to Tony's strange theories of what Loki is currently like.

"I bet he has a snake in his room."

Thor casts Tony a deservingly disbelieving look. What of harmless creatures such as snakes causes such comparisons to his brother? His eyes of emerald are serpentine when narrowed into slits, but there is not much about Loki that calls upon comparisons with snakes.

The wall of green students greets them upon exiting the vehicle, the chaos of yesterday instead a silent storm.

"Wow, what is this? Children of the corn?"

"You are all instructed to carry on with your morning," Thor says, and the students disperse, some running into each other in their haste to clear the stairs. Ah, he quite likes this business of teaching. "Children quite understand."

"You're the god of freaking thunder," Tony says as he walks beside Thor, staring at the remaining students as if he is some scared creature, like a squirrel. "They'd be fucking stupid not to listen to you."

"They are well aware of my lack of violent tendencies toward innocents. They fear not."

Professor Verde almost collides with him, but he steadies her with firm hands on her shoulders. She reddens and pulls away, bringing her cup of coffee to her lips before speaking. "Oh, um, hello, Professor Odinson." She notices Tony, eyebrows rising. "Tony Stark."

"Sup."

"I will let you two go back to… superheroing the halls, but I'll see you around."

The woman walks around them, and Thor feels her eyes on his back when she casts the usual glance back at him. Midgardian woman, a type he has lots of familiarity with. The centuries have not changed them though their attire has grown quite… revealing.

"Oh, Thor, got you a lady friend."

He pushes open the door to his classroom. "Yes, Tony, that is what she is. She is a lady friend."

"A pretty lady friend." Tony sits on a desk. "I remember school. I hated it."

"Is there a thing that you have not hated or do not hate, my friend?" he asks, shrugging his jacket off. He pulls his sleeves up to his elbows and welcomes the first student into the classroom.

"Yeah, but that's irrelevant. Every kid hates school, right, um…"

"Jason," the second arrival replies as he takes his seat.

"Yeah, Jason hates school too."

The cocked eyebrow and frown on his face voice the boy's disagreement, and Thor chuckles at Tony's look of betrayal. "Sorry, but… I like school."

Tony points a finger at him. "It's your brother I tell you. Probably casting spells on these kids to make them think learning is fun or some stupid shit like that."

"Your speech, Stark." He purses his lips. "We are in the company of children."

"Um, dude, the internet?" Tony moves from the desk surface as a girl goes to take her rightful seat. "You play video games. Those ten year olds who go, 'I totally fu-'"

Thor gives Tony another warning look as the last of the students file into the classroom. His mode of speech will not be tolerated within the hearing range of these students while he is in Thor's classroom. Yes, Thor's classroom. Hm, he never thought he would have a classroom in a Midgardian school. It is quite strange how things change so fast.

How people change so fast as well.

"Hello, class."

"Hello, Professor Odinson."

He beams at Tony as he rolls his eyes from his place at Thor's desk. "I suppose that I should introduce you to a close comrade of mine who many of you know-"

"Tony Stark," Tony says, and he settles beside Thor. "I'm just here to… help out. Can't have the big guy getting bullied by you kids. We all know how evil you guys can be."

"My friend means that he is here as an assistant for today. His words of your allegiance mean nothing. I care not for whom you root for though I do suggest you pick the side of those best suited to protect your Midgardian lives." Thor catches the eye of a blushing girl and winks. "We are here to study the works of your Midgardian poets and wordsmiths."

"But still, Avengers, right?"

He gives an unnecessarily hard pat on Tony's shoulder. "Tony, care to move a chair behind my student Miles?"

"What, Thor, are you serious-?"

"Class will begin when you take your seat, Tony," he replies. "None of your shenanigans please." He gestures to the blonde girl sitting in front of the vacant seat. "Lady Marie, do tell me if Tony creates any problems. I will not hesitate to give him detention."

There are chuckles from around the classroom as Tony scoffs.

"You can't give me detention!"

"Yes, he can!" a boy Josh shouts.

"And he will!" another adds.

Tony opens his mouth to reply, but he is interrupted by the words of a girl Anne. "Can you sit down? I want to learn."

"Yeah!"

Watching him slink off to with a seat in tow as he grumbles about the true nature of children, Thor claps his hands together and the students immediately silence from their jests about Tony, allowing Thor to being class without delay.

**Loki**

"So, Professor Laufeyson, you're saying that it's possible to get pregnant that way?"

He turns a look on Matthew. Words are unneeded to communicate his disapproval for such ignorance of something he has explained various times before and in various classes that Matthew and his peers have taken since their ninth year.

Midgardian reproduction is the easier of the conception methods of the creatures in all the realms, and Loki himself takes great interest in the mechanics of such things. He cannot relate to the actual process of birthing with a Midgardian woman, but he does know the struggles of pregnancy though from beginning to delivery, he had it quite a bit harder than the average human woman.

"Matt, just… shut the fuck up." Ashley's use of profanity was unnecessary though Loki agrees that Matthew should quiet before he makes more of a fool of himself in front of his peers. Ignorance is not something to take humor in at this school, his school, and they all know that.

"Um, sorry," Matthew says. "I… get it."

He smiles. "Do you?" He clasps his hands behind his back and walks to Matthew and Ashley's desk. "Then explain to your classmates."

"Professor, look, I'm sorry—I didn't mean to sound so stupid, but I just thought—They're separate holes!"

"Leakage, dude!" Ashley puts a hand on his face. "Professor, he's being stupid. Can we just move on?"

"You are in an Advanced Biology class, and you are unaware that you can in fact get pregnant through anal sex." There are not snickers, this class knowing how well he tolerates such immaturity. "As Ashley said, 'leakage' is in fact a possibility. Now, through conventional means, one cannot get pregnant, but Mr. Black, you should know this and claim to 'get it,' correct?"

The classroom is silent, more silent than usual, and Loki's voice is he only one heard.

"Tonight, Mr. Black, you are to put together a 20 slide presentation on how one could get pregnant through anal sex, and you are required to provide visual media to accompany your explanation." The bell rings above. "Class is dismissed."

Matthew gets a shove from Ashley as they exit the door, and Loki sits down at his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He can image their crestfallen faces from dinner and this morning, and it has stuck with him through the first three periods of the day. Such things usually do not interfere with his capacity to teach, and the effect has been minimal, but any effect at all is unacceptable.

The true one to blame is a floor below and teaching a class of fourth graders.

Loki nods a greeting to Sophia as he extends his range of hearing, the too-long forgotten tingles covering the surface of his skin as he hears the edges of his booming voice a floor below, directly below his own classroom. A layer of brick and mortar separates them, but Loki feels closer to Thor than he has in over a decade, since he last touched him.

Below, Thor says something that elicits a laugh from his students, and a smile starts to appear on Loki's own lips before he schools his expression back into neutrality. His way with children has never failed to amaze Loki, and Loki's own way with them can be partially be attributed him. Hloridi and Loptr's arrival is what truly changed him.

The class composed of twelfth graders goes smoothly as usual, the lesson of rotational kinematics, an idea in Midgardian physics that he learned as a boy in Asgard. Hands are raised and questions are answered correctly—Loki has trained them since their ninth year. Of course they are correct—but the steady hum of Thor's voice in the back of his mind keeps his mood elevated.

"You look good today, Professor," Madison says, "especially good." It is no come on, most of the girls having realized that Loki has no interest in their gender or a relationship with a minor by their second month of having him as an instructor.

"Thank you, Miss Roz," he replies, and perhaps for the first time in ten years, he feels heat rush to his face.

**Thor **

"Here he comes," Tony says, tittering.

Hloridi and five boys flanking him enter the classroom, Hloridi casting a glance around the classroom before going to take his seat. His companions take their own seats after he sends them a cool look, a look that Thor could claim as his own.

Tony puts his hands into his pockets and walks to Hloridi's desk, Thor following him in the case that Tony decides that hurting him to draw out this "demonic side" is the right course of action. "Hey, you, kid."

Hloridi looks up at them. "Yes?"

"Tony Stark," he says. "You're the spawn of Looney—Loki."

His mouth sets into a line, and he crosses his arms. "Yep, is there some problem with that?"

"Well, yeah, there's a-"

"There are none, Hloridi," Thor says. Talking to a child should not make him feel as though he's being scrutinized. "How has your day been?"

"Awesome. So, Tony Stark, what brings you here today? Is it my fa—Thor's presence or what? No, wait, that was a stupid thing to say. You hate kids. Why are you here then?" Hloridi points at Tony. "No, Steve Rogers sent you, didn't he? I'm looking forward to meeting him."

"Wow, Mini-Loki likes Captain America? That's damn surprising."

"I don't like him," he replies. "I admire his initiative. He keeps you all in line."

Thor's eyes narrow as Hloridi beams up at them.

"Looks like Loki needs to keep you in line."

"I don't need to be kept in line, Tony. I am better than any of these people, these Midgardians. You and I shouldn't pretend I'm some run of the mill kid. My father is a god." He looks at Thor with something in his eyes, and Thor wants to grab him and demand to know who his other parent is. "He's the best god."

"Oh, Thor, gonna teach your nephew a lesson?"

Hloridi looks confused for a moment, but it passes. "Yes, _Uncle Thor_, going to give me detention?"

"How is Thor talking to you?" Cooper sits in his seat next to Hloridi. "You're so weird."

"And you're an idiot."

"Dang, kids talking crazy to each other," Tony says. "Thor, you going to let them bully each other."

"I would never get bullied," Hloridi says. "I am not weak."

"LOL, we'll see about that."

"Cooper, you should shut up before I punch you again." Again? Well, Loki's passive personality did not descend to this son. Thor feels pride that he has shown this boy that he is not to be trifled with. No family member of his will be treated so ill by another. "Now Tony Stark knows you got punched in the face."

A few of the other students chuckle, but Thor sends them a stern look.

"Whatever, Laufeyson."

The bell rings, and Thor turns to look at Tony.

"Thor, please, don't make me sit next to him!"

He and Hloridi exchange an amused look as Tony goes to sit behind the boy. His previous warning of shenanigans will without a doubt be ignored this period, and with Hloridi's conduct, Thor is willing to bend the rules for a short demonstration of how much Steven keeps him in line.

The first attack comes when Thor is ten minutes into class, a piece of paper lying on the floor beside Hloridi's chair as he grits his teeth and stares ahead, Tony whistling and drumming his fingers as he stares out the window.

"As I was saying…"

Hloridi is quick to temper, Thor discovers, when the boy stands up from his seat and glares at Tony, a paper airplane within the tresses of his hair. "Can you stop it?"

"Hloridi, please, take your seat."

"But he—you saw him! He threw it at me!"

Thor crosses his arms. "I saw no such thing."

"What?" He pulls the paper airplane out and throws it to the ground. "Whatever!"

Tony pulls a rubber band from his wrist, Hloridi turning around to stare.

"Hloridi, face forward."

He does as told though the look he gives Thor is one of betrayal. He earned this, and it is only right that he face the consequences of his comments.

Just as the bell rings, Tony launches the rubber band, Hloridi's hand coming to catch it centimeters from his head.

"Look, proof!" He throws the rubber band onto Thor's desk as he walks by. "Goodbye, Uncle Traitor, and Man of Irritation!"

"Oh, clever."

"Were we cruel?"

"No, kid deserved it."

"You believe all children 'deserve it.'"

"They do," Tony says as they exit the classroom, "but that kid in particular deserved it a lot. He has the potential to become a douche, a frat douche."

"I care not to know what that means after your explanation of what 'jailbait' was." He lifts his hand to high five a group of boys in his second period class. He nods a greeting to Professor Verde as they pass her. "I do think class will be quite interesting with Hloridi."

Tony relays the story of Hloridi and his interaction to Clint as they eat at Steven's chosen restaurant, sure to quote his "witty" comments word for word.

"Sounds kind of crazy," Clint says. "He looked kind of crazy from that holo you were looking at yesterday, Thor. I mean, the kid knows that his dad is Loki, the God of Fucking Crazy. He didn't seem to give two fucks, did he?"

"Nope," Tony says. "No fucks were given."

"I'm glad Loki is being honest with them," Steven says. "He didn't lie to them. That's a good thing."

"Probably indoctrinated them on his ways of crazy, Steve," Bruce says. "Thor, he wasn't always crazy, was he?"

The fork in his hand starts to bend, so he sets it aside, inhaling to gather his calm. "Loki is not 'crazy.' He was misguided, and Hloridi is not either. He is… very confident."

Natasha points her knife at him, a way that would be threatening if he had not known her for such a while. "Thor, you were a confident kid. Actually, Odin sent you down here 14 years ago for being so cocky."

He was not "cocky." He was brash and too impulsive for his own good, too trusting of his brother to see that he had been manipulating them like he was manipulating everyone else. The past is the past, and Thor has moved on from that betrayal. The most recent one will not be forgiven so easily.

"Like uncle, like nephew," Tony says with a shrug. "Maybe you'll have to send him to Asgard."

The thought of his father discovering their existence sends a shiver down his spine. Such things are not topics Thor wants to entertain if he wishes to remain composed enough to continue his new life.

As he and Tony walk back into the school, they are greeted with waves and other gestures, one boy stopping to declare Thor his new favorite instructor. He thanks them and continues on, eyes glancing around for a tall raven head and coming back disappointed.

His class of twelfth year students welcomes Tony with open arms and snide remarks, Tony bantering with the boy he termed "giraffe" after they discover a shared love of Bruce's transformation into the green Hulk. He sends them both a look when they start making sound effects mimicking Bruce's roars, and they turn to whispering.

A girl Kate raises her hand during his discussion of books he read during his boyhood by the instruction of his brother, and Thor gestures for her to speak. "What happened to your brother?"

Tony and Max the "giraffe" cease whispering.

The fact that such a question has not been asked previously is actually a surprise. It is not a secret that his brother is Loki though these students have no idea that they know what happened to him. He is within the building.

"My brother is safe," Thor says because it is the truth. "He has changed much since the past."

"Oh, cool," she says. "He was cute."

The bell rings and saves Thor from whatever questions that were sure to follow.

"You know, how do they not know?" Tony asks. "I wonder if it's some spell he put on them or something."

"The Loki that they know, the one I am familiar with, is unlike the one that you all knew. He was cunning, but in a way much different than the malicious one you know. When one is as intelligent as him, one's mind does not pay much attention to anything else but his brilliance."

"Psh, I'm brilliant too, but people are always bringing up the whole Mandarin jib. Jeez, do people ever forget?"

Thor turns a look on Tony that makes him frown and avert his eyes.

After his free period, Tony goes back to sit in his seat, looking at the door with anticipation. His recent learning of Loptr's love for him has made him anxious to meet the boy.

Students file in one after another, and just as the bell rings, one Loptr Laufeyson slips through the threshold.

"On time, yes!" he shouts, and he goes to take his seat, freezing and his jaw dropping.

"Loptr, please take your seat," he says, and Loptr does as told, sitting in the empty desk next to Tony as he gives Tony a look of awe. "Students, I am sure you notice that there is someone else among your ranks. This is my friend and teammate, Tony Stark."

"Sup, kids, you know me. Friendly neighborhood genius."

"You can't steal that from Spi-"

"I do what I want!" Tony sings, waving his hand around. "Let the man speak! He's the god of fuc—freaking thunder!"

He thanks him before continuing on with his planned introduction to the lesson, trying to keep a grin from his face as Loptr sends not so surreptitious looks at Tony every few moments he thinks the man is not looking. Tony's shared look of amusement exposes that he does in fact know that he's being admired.

When the bell rings, Loptr explodes from his chair, shouting, "You're Iron man!" on the top of his lungs.

Tony laughs as he stands up, Loptr on his heels as he makes his way to Thor. "Well, he has some self-control. A lot more than his brother."

"This is just so awesome!" He jumps up and down. "You are Iron man, the Iron man!"

"Actually, kid, I'm Tony Stark. Iron man is the guy with the mask, you know, and the suit."

Loptr continues to grin. "Did Bruce tell you what I said? Oh wait, I didn't get to finish. Stupid Lori. So-"

Tony holds up his hands and takes a step backward. "Um, Little Mischief, sorry, but I don't talk to satanic children."

The look that replaces his smile simultaneously lights a fire inside Thor that declares Stark the enemy and throws a veil of protection over Loptr's sagging shoulders. His eyes are wide orbs of painful adorability, the kind that wishes for Thor to grab Loptr and hold him until he is smiling yet again.

"Wait, I'm sorry," Tony says as Thor turns a glare on him. He takes a step backward. "You're not evil, kid, okay? Actually, you're kind of cute, and you look like your uncle."

Loptr starts to giggle. "Uncle?" His giggles grow stronger, filling the room with chiming sounds.

"Wow, don't see how that's funny."

In his periphery, a dark head moves down the hallway in graceful movements that make Thor feel like an anxious boy again.

Tony catches Loki as well, and they exchange a short look before moving toward the door. "Oh, Mischief!"

Thor moves past Tony and bars him from continuing down the hallway, approaching Loki's turned back himself. "Loki," he says, and a decade of yearning comes out with that lone word.

He turns around, and Thor's world is once again whole, those smoldering eyes of knowledge and unfathomable cunning setting upon Thor after too many turns of Midgard around the sun. The corners of his lips quirk up ever so slightly, and a smile comes to Thor's own lips.

"Iron man—Father!" Loptr runs to Loki, the top of his head near Loki's bicep. He is no medicine man like Bruce, but he knows that Midgardian children are not that tall on average. He has inherited his height from his parent, but what of the other? "I talked to Iron man!"

"And so I see," Loki says, his voice velour to his ears. "You have met the man of iron."

Hloridi rounds the corner, large headphones over his ears so reminiscent of the ones Clint wears when discharging firearms in the range. Hloridi looks every part Loki as he stands with his arms crossed, eyes on the device in his hand.

"Hloridi, what delayed you?" Loki asks, and no response comes from the boy. "Hloridi."

"Yes, Father?" He gives Loki a look of irritation, and Thor is impressed with the boy's gall to speak to his father in such a tone. He should know that Loki has no patience for such things, or he did not during the centuries that they spent together. Much has changed in ten years.

A smile forms on Loki's lips, and Hloridi's eyes widen.

"Sorry, Father. I apologize for my tone. I was just—Today's been weird for me."

"Not for me!" Loptr shouts, jumping up and down. "I met Iron man! He was totally mean to me at first, but Thor gave him this look, and he went all 'sorry, kid' and Father, he called Thor my-"

He is interrupted by the entrance of a man Thor has seen around the halls always sporting a smile and accepting gestures of praise from the students. He puts a hand on Loptr's shoulder, and Thor barely prevents himself from telling the man that he has no right to lay a finger upon him. "Loki, do you want to grab a—oh, I apologize, I didn't see you two there. Professor Albert Lavert."

"Tony Stark and Big Blondie," he replies with an inclination of his head. "Just forget we exist."

Professor Lavert nods with that ever present beam still intact. It has seemed to only grow in Loki's presence. "I'm in the mood to bake, and I would have asked earlier, but-"

"When are you not in the mood to bake, Albert? Yes, to whatever you are querying," Loki says, and Thor's smile starts to fade. "Hloridi, Loptr, come."

"We don't get an invite?"

Professor Lavert chuckles. "Well-"

"I apologize, Mr. Stark, but my comrade Albert and I must tell you that you do not get an invite." He smiles, and it's a disingenuous one, the empty variant of his true smile, the one he wore during those days after his return. His gaze turns to Thor, and edges of the true smile show. "Professor Odinson."

The title is so sickeningly formal that it erases any remnants of his smile the second the words are spoken. Thor is not Professor Odinson to Loki of all beings. He is Thor, simply Thor, and he had no complaints of that.

**Loki**

"Father, I thought I was going to die! I mean, wow, he's so awesome, and I couldn't even wrap my head around his awesomeness."

"Tony Stark is lame." Hloridi deserves the spoonful of brownie mix flicked onto his face, and Loptr deserves the tablespoon of confectionary sugar dumped on his head. They will both shower later.

"He seemed like a cool guy," Albert says, kicking the oven door shut as he maneuvers two cakes in his hands. Early on, Loki liked to reinforce the man's carries with a charm, but Albert has proved to be quite balanced for a Midgardian man. "He wasn't a rude as they made him seem."

"Oh trust me, Lavert, he was terrible," Hloridi says, dipping his finger into the icing of a cake and getting it batted away by Albert. "He tried to ruin my charm with his stupid 'wit.' He's not even witty, just annoying."

"He is witty, Lori." Loptr draws a triangle in the flour residue, adding the prongs of Tony Stark's arc reactor. The boy has artistic ability however bad he uses it. Tony Stark is not worth his talents. "He's so cool."

"He threw a paper airplane in my hair!"

"You probably deserved it!"

"What?" He tries to look affronted, but Loki sees right through his act. Hloridi is his other father, often trying to make it as if everyone but themselves is in the wrong when it is truly them. "You know what? Thor didn't even do anything! He was all, 'I didn't see anything.' He totally did."

"He defended me." Loptr looks up at Loki. "Thor made Tony apologize with one of his looks."

Loki does know those looks of Thor's, and he has fallen victim to them more times than he can count or wants to even admit to any other being. It is the liquid blue of his eyes that bores into the core of Loki, taking root there until it is impossible not to acquiesce to whatever Thor is requesting.

"It was awesome."

"I bet it was," Hloridi says. "Too bad he didn't do that for me."

"Boys, I'm sure Professor Odinson likes you both equally," Albert says, "but Lori, he's probably a little put off by your cockiness-"

"I am not cocky!"

"-and it will take time for him to adjust. You just watch. He'll love you once he gets to know you." Albert sets a purple frosted cupcake in front of him. "It's impossible not to, Prince Eric."

"Ha, ha, Prince Eric!"

"You're jealous, John Smith. I'm a prince, and you're just a colonist."

Albert offers Loki a smile as he sits down across from him. "What do you think of him?"

"Who?" He knows "who."

"Professor Odinson." He slides a cupcake in front of Loki, and Loki carefully unwraps it, not in the mood for frosting covered fingers. "What were you guys talking about before I came?"

"Nothing. We greeted each other." That greeting was perhaps the worst greeting he has had since Thor decided that grabbing him from the helicarrier and dragging him atop a mountain was the proper way to express his relief at Loki being alive.

Tony Stark can have most of the blame with his unneeded call of "Mischief" as if it is a requirement for him to attempt to be as clever as possible at all moments of the day. There are times when being clever is fine, but when seeing one's friend's brother for the first time since an impromptu departure ten years ago is not one of those times. Perhaps his foolishness will serve as a buffer between Loki and the inevitability of Thor confronting him for answers he is not ready to give.

"He's the talk of the halls. All the kids like him."

"Of course they do," he, Hloridi, and Loptr say at once, his tone exasperated, Hloridi's annoyed, and Loptr's proud.

"Creepy as always," Albert says, pointing at them. "I'm thinking of inviting him to lunch with us tomorrow. He should get integrated with the staff."

"He goes to lunch with the Avengers," Hloridi says. "He has people to eat with, Lavert."

"But that doesn't mean we can't offer. I owe him for telling him that he couldn't come today." He frowns. "You all know how much I hate saying no to people."

"You did not say no, Albert," Loki says, sticking the last piece of cupcake into his mouth. "I was the one who declined."

"I'm happy you did," Loptr says. "That would have been weird. I mean, Iron man in our house. Wow, I would have crapped my pants."

Albert lets out a laugh as he disappears around the corner, and Hloridi rolls his eyes.

"I would have then pointed crapped pants out to Tony Stark, and we would have laughed at you. Only babies crap their pants and old people." He makes a face. "Father, does our grandfather crap his pants?"

Having his son ask him if the All-Father "craps" his pants is the least strange thing that has happened today. As much as he wishes to tell him that Odin does in fact "crap" his pants, he shakes his head to two looks of disappointment. Their disdain for Odin came upon by itself, and they're intelligent enough to extrapolate from the things he's told him to understand that what he did was partially because of their grandfather.

Albert comes back and pulls out four trays from the oven, nodding in satisfaction at the perfection lying on each baking sheet. The man has magic with pastries. "Hm, I wonder if Thor likes them."

"Cinnamon is his favorite flavor," Hloridi says.

Loki smirks at Hloridi's blushing face. He's paid attention during the anecdotes Loki supplied them with about their father throughout the years however much he claims to not care about him.

"Oh, someone's a fan of the Avengers."

"No," he replies, flicking Loptr with sprinkles, "I just… know."

"Tony's favorite flavor is chocolate," Loptr says, frowning as his brother chuckles at the sprinkles in his hair. With a sigh, Loki reaches over to help him rid his blond of the pink and blue. "I hope he's there tomorrow."

"You're the only one."

Loki is midway between their opposing views. If Tony is there, his presence will surely obstruct any of Thor's attempts to communicate, but a part of Loki wishes to have a conversation with Thor without Tony's wit as addition. Only tomorrow knows.

Albert insists on making dinner, and Loki makes no motion to stop him, too content with the duties of cooking being taken from his hands. It was fun at first, but the limitations of Midgardian foodcraft frustrate him to no end. Albert, on the other hand, takes great joy in the simple ingredient combining, so Loki will not stand in the way of the man's ever-present joy.

He feels it coming before it happens, unsurprised when Hloridi grabs a fistful of his broccoli and throws it across the table at Loptr. He sighs and continues to eat, glancing at Albert to tell the man to do the same. Food fights end quickly because one can only do so much damage with Midgardian foodstuffs.

"You little idiot!" Loptr stands, and Hloridi leaps over the table, the two of them falling to the ground. "You never listen to me! You always think you're right!"

"I am! You have stupid opinions like how you think the man of iron is someone to be liked! You know what he did!"

"So? Everyone did something! He's cool now!"

"How do you know?"

Albert offers Loki an apologetic smile and stands, but Loki waves his hand under the table, and all of the sounds and movements on the other side of the table stop. "Wow, they sure tucker out, don't they? At the same time always." He sits back down. "They're quite the duo."

"Menaces upon society."

They finish dinner in comfortable silence, and Albert's experience with their sudden sleeps has decreased the number of worried glances he sends at their two motionless bodies on the ground. The first time, Albert tried to call medical services, but Loki stopped him with a warm look and a hand on the shoulder, enough for the man to realize that they were in no danger.

Hloridi and Loptr awaken with a touch on the shoulder, walking side by side up the stairs with bleary eyes. At the top of the stairs, they turn around to bid Albert a farewell before continuing to their bedtime routine.

"I'll see you in the morning."

Loki returns the farewell and goes to see what his sons are up to, too relieved to hear the dual sounds of the shower running. He peaks his head into each of their bathrooms to tell them goodnight and retreats to his bedroom, locking the door and letting out an exhale.

Things could be much, much worse. They could be two again.

Even for Asgardians, two is the age of prime mischief, and with him being _the_ god of mischief, their erratic behavior was combined with the emergence of their powers of magic. Being two years old, there was not much they could do to control it, but Loki often found things covered in ice, things otherwise unfrozen.

With the silence around him, he draws a volume from a shelf and falls into a cross-legged pose, extinguishing the lights in favor for a lone candle in front of him. Even with the thousands of years he has been alive, there is still much to learn, and that is why as a teacher, he takes great satisfaction in eager pupils. There were no instructors to facilitate to his need for knowledge as a child, and Loki would despise to see such an unfortunate thing to come upon even one mere Midgardian child if he can prevent so. He is better than _them_.

The only two Asgardians he can bare stare at each other with blank expressions over breakfast, their movements robotic as they attempt to not show how much the other has had an effect on them. As twins, their relationship is stronger than the average siblings, and everything done upon the other has some sort of effect whether they are anxious to admit as such.

"Come, my Asgardians."

They frown.

"What did we do?"

"We're sorry."

He ignores their words and gets into the car, smirking at the twin looks of worry being directed at him with accompanying waves of anxiety. For their troubles of making dinner as terrible as possible, they will get no response.

"Father, please, just tell us!"

"I'm so sorry! Lop's so sorry! We're sorry, Father! Please, you're the best god ever, and we love you!"

They flank him as they walk into the school, continuing their futile attempt to get answers from Loki.

"Loki."

He stops and turns to see Thor and the widow. His heart almost skips a beat, not entirely used to the sight of Thor in his Midgardian professional wear. He always wore his armor better than any other man or woman in the nine realms, but this is criminal to look so perfect in something as mundane as a shirt and tie.

"Father?" Hloridi says, and the whine in his voice makes Loki grit his teeth though that is better than smiling. "Thor, tell Father to-"

"Hloridi," Loki says, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Professor Odinson, Agent Romanoff."

"Professor Laufeyson," the widow replies, and she offers her hands to his sons. "Hello, Hloridi, and Loptr."

Loptr shakes her hand, and Hloridi and her bump fists.

"I'm so sorry!" Hloridi shouts, and Loptr runs around Thor to wrap his arms around an approaching Albert's waist. His children have inherited his flair for the dramatic, sadly. "Father, talk to me! Tell me what I did!"

"You should get ahold of your children," Natasha says, and Loki smiles.

"I should inform you that I have quite a hold on my children," he replies. "They are hysterical, are they not?"

"I'm sure that's considered child abuse somewhere."

"Though not in this country of the free is it? Albert, I want you to meet Agent Natasha Romanoff."

Albert's eyes widen, and he gives Loki a disbelieving look before going to shake her hand. "Professor Lavert," he says. "I should tell you that I'm a-"

"I'm here! I'm here!" Clint Barton runs to them, waving his hands above his head and exposing his true idiocy to the masses. "Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, too much evil! Too much evil!"

Natasha claps a hand over his mouth. "This is Clint Barton, Professor Lavert, and Clint, this is Professor Lavert."

Hloridi's eyes widen, and he takes a step backward. "I—Father, I just remembered a project I had to do. You don't have to tell me anything, and I'm sorry for ever being like that. I'll see you at lunch!" He goes inside, quickly coming back out and worming a hand into the cupcake box of Albert's. "Wait, now I'll see you at lunch!"

"Phew, one down," Clint says. "Two more to go."

Loptr unhooks his hands from Albert's waist. "Oh, Hawkeye," he says, sniffling. "Hloridi loves you."

"Oh, snap, I got one too!" he shouts. "Stark, eat your goddamn heart out!"

"Clint, watch your way of speaking," Thor says, and Loki gulps. "We are in the presence of children."

"But he's a demon."

Thor gives Clint the look that Loptr spoke of, and Loki is almost transported back in time.

Albert lets out a laugh. "Well, Mr. Barton, I should inform you that Loptr is one of the sweetest children I have ever met." He opens his cupcake box and sets one in Loptr's hands, patting his head as if he is a child. Loptr may be a child, but he reaches Albert's shoulder, soon to surpass that. "He's a goofball, but… aren't all 10 year olds?"

"Father, do you still love me?"

Clint makes an "aw" noise, and Loki rolls his eyes at his son.

"Do not be so ridiculous," he says. "Come. I will walk you to your class to ensure that this cupcake does not end up in your brother's hair. Albert."

"Okay, um, okay. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Barton and Ms. Romanoff."

Loki inclines his head and purposely avoids Thor's eyes. The ten years have made his capacity for looking him in the eye and not telling him things he should not weaker.

Albert waits until they have dropped Loptr at his class to have his celebration over meeting Natasha. "She was so beautiful! Wow, she was just—on TV, they don't do her justice."

"I think they portray her just well," he replies, nodding a greeting to Professor Zold. "Have your plans for lunch changed?"

"No way! I'm definitely inviting Thor to lunch with us now. I would love to talk to her about her knowledge of history. She's been in so many important battles in such a short lifetime that it would be an asset to have her come to one of my classes and talk." He turns to Loki. "You should have asked Tony Stark to come in. He's a scientist."

"He is also known for his rather… strange personality." Loki goes into his already filled classroom. His students know the routine. "My class is not one of strangeness and Tony Stark. Goodbye, Albert, and Hello, class."

He is three sentences into his introduction to simple harmonic motion when there is a knock on the door, the knocking person walking into the room before he grants them entry.

"Hello, Professor Laufeyson," Clint says as he walks in without Natasha at his side. "I was sent here because I'm supposedly making too much noise in English. Professor Odinson can be such a poop."

Loki does not bother with keeping a smile on his face. "Please, Mr. Barton, take a seat next to Jayden," he says, and Jayden lifts his hand without prompting. "You are invited to stay as long as you refrain from serving as a distraction."

Clint sits down next to Jayden, the two of them bumping their fists. "Me, a distraction? Dude, I love science. We talking about flower pollination?"

No one laughs, which is good for their freedom outside of school.

He briefly thinks of conjuring his scepter and showing Clint exactly what he is talking about, but he continues on with the lesson.

No disruptions, which is good for Clint's freedom everywhere.

**Thor**

"If he had a plan, I think it became worse when I walked in," Clint says as he reenters the classroom, moving around the exiting students. "I thought he was going to kill me."

"Well, he didn't, did he?" Natasha stands. "Come on. Let's go eat lunch with the future of our country."

As they move to exit the classroom, Professor Lavert passes the room, Clint running at full speed as he shouts, "Cupcake guy!" He and Natasha exchange an amused look as they follow after him to find him asking the man the specifics about the preparation of the cupcakes he carries.

"Professor Lavert," Thor says, and the man turns to grin at him.

"Professor Odinson, boy, am I glad to have caught you," he says. "I know this is probably weird or out of the blue, but I wanted to ask if you would join me for lunch? Loki and I-"

"Yes," Thor replies, and Natasha gives him a look that alerts him of how suspicious he sounds.

The man doesn't react to that, his grin only growing bigger. "Wow, that's positively great!" He moves the cupcake box as Clint moves to pry it open, Clint murmuring about how easy Hloridi made it look to acquire one. "On Wednesdays, we eat in the café with the rest of the teachers since Loki's not entirely social." He shrugs. "It's a good compromise. He compromises well."

Thor nods in understanding. When Loki wants to be reasonable, one can react great compromise with him, but otherwise, he is the stubborn Loki that most know.

Professor Lavert pushes open the door to a classroom, and Thor immediately notices that Loki is standing with his arms crossed as he stares out of the window. "Loki, look who I-"

Loki turns to them, and there's a brief moment in which Thor sees _that_ Loki. "Oh, you have succeeded in your mission, Albert." He simpers and uncrosses his arms. "Hello, again, all," he says as he walks past them out of the classroom.

When Professor Lavert moves to walk beside him, Thor takes the step forward to stand on Loki's other side. "Did I tell you what happened earlier? In Zeleny's, Cooper said something to Loptr, and Hloridi threatened that he would 'make him regret the day his mother,' um…. you know?"

"Conceived him?"

"Yes, that," he says. "I arrived before anything could happen, but I thought you should know."

Loki grins as he opens the door, and he and Thor make brief eye contact. Even brief, Thor knows that it is not enough for him to ever feel satisfied. "It appears that they chose a good day of the week, did they not?"

The children seem to take to sitting with their classmates. The oldest students he sees are fifth graders, many of them his students. At the most boisterous table sits a group of boys almost all from his fifth period class, including Hloridi. It is hard to miss his twin sitting at a table composed of mostly girls and the odd male. He should not feel such pride when the boy is only ten, a few years off from the age where mates are relevant.

Though Thor did know what or _who_ he wanted by the time he was ten in Midgardian years.

"This is Stark's nightmare," Natasha says.

"There are children everywhere!" Clint shouts, and he runs and jumps atop a table. "Accept me as your ruler! I am the leader of the children!"

Thor is unsure of whether that is a mockery of Loki's failed attempt to rule the Midgardians, or if he truly believes the words he is saying. With Clint, it is an enigma only to be solved with direct questioning that Thor is in no mood to give.

"Clint, get down," Natasha says, and he listens to her, instead going to exchange fist bumps and high fives with awestruck students.

"That was…"

"Albert, do not try to understand their ways," Loki says. "Let us join our colleagues."

The adults sit away from the students as though they share Stark's disdain on some level.

"Oh, it's Wednesday!" a man with a lop-sided smile and a face that makes Thor want to seize him and shake him shouts. He stands and holds his arms open toward Loki. "We have been joined by the one and only head teacher, and who is this? Three of the Avengers, one of who is our new English teacher?"

Thor shakes offered hands and learns the names of the faculty seated and their respective subjects. When he gets to the first man Professor Eric Hring, he is sure to use his firm grip and does not offer the man an apologetic look when he winces.

To his disdain, he ends up seated between Natasha and Professor Lavert. How is he ever supposed to talk to Loki when he insists on others taking precedence over him? Is this his strategy to make it appear that they know nothing of each other besides the cursory superhero-civilian relationship? If they have not discovered Loki's true identity by now, them interacting will not do anything to push that forward.

"Hawkeye." Loptr stands with his hands pressed together, a grin on his face. "Hey, can I ask you something really, really important?"

"What is the most painful way I don't want to die?"

Loptr chuckles. "No, I want you to sit with us. Look, you're awesome, so we want the awesome people to sit with us."

"How about… well, we are in public." Clint stands. "Farewell, mes amigos! I have gone to join the children!"

As they walk back to their table, Hloridi sends fire his brother's way, eyes narrowed.

"Scream if you think Loptr is lame, and Hawkeye should sit with us!" Cooper shouts as he gets onto the table.

Hloridi looks up at Cooper, and Loki groans, standing up from his seat and maneuvering through the tables faster than any normal Midgardian could. "What did you say, you little-?"

Loki grabs Hloridi's hand and pulls him from the table, covering his mouth.

Thor gets an extra chair for Hloridi and earns something more than a neutral look from Loki as Loki sits Hloridi down.

"I cannot leave you alone for a minute before you decide that murdering Cooper is suddenly a good course of action."

He crosses his arms. "He cannot say those things about Lop, Father! Cooper is a freaking-"

"Stop speaking."

Professor Hring chuckles. "Wow, Hloridi, you're five in five for being dragged here on Wednesdays."

Surprisingly, Hloridi does not respond, but a short glance at Natasha's amused face tells him that he could not speak if he wanted to.

"You're far too lenient," he says.

Natasha throws her head back and laughs. "'Lenient.'"

"Ms. Romanoff, if it would not be a burden, I would like to ask you to come to my next few classes," Professor Lavert says as he pinks. His attraction to Natasha is unfortunate considering the nature of the relationship between Natasha and Clint, Clint a warrior who would dispatch the professor with one touch.

"Oh, that sounds great," she says. "Thor can handle kids by himself."

"That is not very surprising," Professor Zold says. "He is an amiable person."

"'Amiable,'" Loki murmurs, so low that the Midgardians do not hear him. The corners of his lips upturn. "Hloridi, I suggest you refrain from contact with Cooper. If I do hear of another confrontation, do know that I will not be so forgiving." He stands. "I bid you all farewell. Albert, I will see you at the end of the day."

"Bye, Loki," Professor Hring says, and the fork in Thor's hand splits in half. "Oh, wow, you're strong."

It has been quite a while since he has hated a civilian, but for the first time in over 500 years, he despises a powerless, average Midgardian man.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Midgardian Reproduction 101 **Thor**

"Dude, you have got to see this. I mean, the poor kid looked like he wanted to get swallowed up by the ground, but your brother was giving him one of his looks—that one that's like 'I am satisfied, and you must continue to make me satisfied if you do not want to become one of my slaves'—so he kept going every single time."

Thor follows Clint into the classroom, amused at the look of irritation Loki gives him upon entering without previously knocking. He would have knocked himself, but Clint is quite different than most that are aware of who Loki is and how he reacts to such things as interruptions.

Even Thor's respect to Loki's craft could not make him decline Clint's "invitation" to go to Loki's classroom and witness the spectacle of a student explaining the mechanics of Midgardian relations. His irritation is worth it if Thor gets to be near him, to see him, to hear him.

"Mr. Barton, I am pleased to see you have decided to join us," Loki says, his smile sharp. "Professor Odinson, I see you have decided to come as well during your free period. You two are invited to stay to witness Mr. Black's presentation, provided you are silent and take your seats at the vacant desk in the back of the classroom."

Clint goes to reply, but Thor puts a hand on his shoulder and leads him to aforementioned desk, sitting Clint down before he sits down himself. They will not be kicked out because of Clint's need to snark at everything Loki says.

A quick glance reveals that Tony's assumption about Loki having a snake is far off from the truth. The classroom is decorated much like Loki's own quarters back on Asgard, the furniture sparse save for the laboratory desks that line the room in rows and Loki's own sparsely decorated desk.

His lips quirk at the academic posters. They remind him of the parchment Loki hung around his room, ignoring the staffs warnings that they ruined the atmosphere of the room. "They are afraid that one will know I am intelligent," he often said, and Thor nodded in agreement before resuming his reading of the tables written in Loki's loopy scrawl.

A boy stands at the screen, his face projecting terror at their sudden appearance, and Clint's words of him being terrified of Loki are correct. He seems to be in no hurry to run and face Loki's wrath.

"Now, class, if you would all turn your attention to a student you may or may not know, Matthew Black. He has a presentation that revolves around your teenage lives quite closely." Loki, hands forever clasped behind his back, turns to the boy. "Mr. Black, you may begin."

Thor is not expecting the heading 'The Mechanics of Anal Penetration' at all and barely manages to keep his surprise from his face. These are children, and he will always see them as such. It is obvious that their lives are not as abstinent as they once were centuries ago, but such a topic is not one freely discussed in a classroom... or that he was aware of.

Matthew clears his throat and begins his presentation which is not as terrible as it could be until he taps onto a new slide and an image of two unclothed Midgardians engaged in said act appears on the board. "Um... I was told to provide visual representation, so..." He gives Loki a helpless look before tapping the image which is actually a video file, and the two people begin to move.

Clint snickers into his hand, and the other students shift in their seats, Loki's eyes scanning their faces. When Loki gets to the two of them, his eyes narrow, and Thor nudges a barely composed Clint with his elbow underneath the table.

"Excuse me, Mr. Barton, if you are not equipped for this class, I have to ask you to leave," Loki says, the satisfaction evident in his voice. His distaste for the man is still there and justified at the moment.

The students turn to look at Clint, disapproving in their eyes.

"No, no, I'm, uh, fine," Clint replies. "This is just—I find this kind of inappropriate."

"You have seen this five times today, Mr. Barton. What makes it so inappropriate now?"

Clint is silent, but Loki continues looking at him.

"You should answer, my friend," Thor says. "I think he's serious."

"Professor Odinson, I am always serious." Those words should not hold any deeper meaning to them than they do, but Thor's small smile fades, and his eyes narrow ever so slightly as he takes in the professor, his brother. "Mr. Black, continue with your presentation."

Clint's composed until Matthew moves onto the term "drippage," and his chuckles restart again, him standing and excusing himself from the classroom as he fights off laughter.

Loki turns an expectant look on Thor, and Thor shrugs, unmoving in his seat. Clint will not stand in the way of him spending lost time with his brother. And Thor has not seen Loki's teaching in action. He always has more to learn from his brother, one of the most brilliant beings in the nine realms.

"Thank you, Mr. Black, for such a great presentation."

Thor claps with the other students as Matthew returns to his seat, cheeks red as others compliment his knowledge on such activities.

His brother moves onto another topic regarding Midgardian life processes, but Thor does not pay much attention to the content coming from his lips. Watching his brother in live action is a better use of his time at the moment than learning which he has millennia for. Ten years of lost time have to be accounted for.

Loki brushes a piece of hair behind his ear as he listens to the query from one of his students, eyes briefly flickering up to meet Thor's. He bites his bottom lip before he answers the question, and Thor lets out a sigh at such a familiar and welcomed image. Loki's eyes find his yet again as if he is reading Thor's thoughts, and with his sorcery, Thor would not be surprised nor care though it violates the promise to stay out of his mind made just when his brother was a budding sorcerer.

Thor leans forward on his elbows, feeling yet again like an attentive boy listening to the rantings of his brother as he went on about a missing tome or spell he was attempting to learn but forbidden from doing so by their father—Loki doesn't frown at that thought which dispels any chance of him listening to Thor's thoughts. Such a time was millennia ago but still as fresh as that decade ago, as those touches, as those kisses.

The bell rings, and Thor stands, waiting for a majority of the students to exit before making his way to Loki's desk. He crosses his arms and stares down at the raven head peering through drawers at a frantic pace, one betraying just how Loki feels with Thor's presence. Good, the feeling is mutual.

"Are you going to speak, or are you going to continue admiring me?"

He grins because ten years have not changed Loki as much as he feared. "Perhaps I could do both," he replies, eyes reading the metal plaque with the words 'Professor Loki Laufeyson' on the desk, "professor."

Loki looks up at him, and finally there is something present besides the impassiveness he has employed as of late. "Why are you here?"

"Because I wish to speak to my recently located brother."

He rolls his eyes. "Why are you _truly_ here, Thor?"

Thor places his palms on his desk, careful not to knock over the green apple. "I am here because ten years ago, you departed without as much as a single word of farewell. Is it too much to ask for an explanation, or would that be simply something you-?"

"Professor Odinson the great!" a boy shouts as he enters the classroom. "Why don't I have you? Why does Jesus hate me?"

"Shut up, Jake."

Loki stands up, his mask back in place. "You have a class to go teach, Professor Odinson. Do tell my son Loptr that his behavior at lunch will be discussed."

He wishes to drag Loki from the classroom and get the answers from him by force, but he only nods and goes to his own classroom, grinding his teeth at his failure to elicit nothing but snark from his brother.

Ten years and nothing has changed.

**Loki**

"Loptr, are you in understanding?"

He nods, barely suppressing an eye roll. "Lori, overreacted, Father. It was just a joke."

Hloridi finally makes his appearance with three of his friends, Andrew, Dana, and Christian, behind him, much like the Warriors Three flanking Thor during his childhood. It's as if someone decided to insert a younger Loki in his place as a cruel joke, but he knows that it's Hloridi by the appearance of those ridiculous headphones he loves to play strange music from and eyes that belong to the other parent.

He and his friends exchange fist bumps before Hloridi dismisses them, walking to the two of them with his arms crossed. "Father," he says, and he frowns, "Loptr."

Loptr scoffs. "You overreact way too much."

"You know he's mine! I didn't try to steal Tony Stark from you!"

"I don't think anyone with sanity would," the widow says as she approaches with Albert behind her. "Professor Laufeyson."

"Agent Romanoff."

"Everyone makes Tony Stark out to be such a bad person, but he seemed so nice," Albert says.

"Tony Stark is many things, but nice is not one of them." Natasha gives Hloridi a look, lips pursed. "Kid, what are you listening to?"

He continues staring at his feet, but his godly hearing does not allot him the luxury of ignoring people through headphones and loud music. "No Doubt."

She smiles, and Loki's eyes narrow. This woman will not make the acquaintance of his children in an attempt to execute whatever the Avengers are planning with their sudden appearance in his and his children's lives.

Thor may have played it off as if his missing of Loki is the reason, but Loki knows much better than that. Ten years is more than enough for Thor to move on to his next conquest, and Loki holds no ill will toward whoever he has chosen. Well, he may hold some ill will, but Thor is "fair game." They are no longer together. Loki ensured that when he left, and he is okay with that fact.

"Favorite song?"

"'It's My Life.'"

"No surprise there," Loptr says with a roll of his eyes, and Hloridi sends him a dark look. "What? You are the one who's always trying to be independent."

"Shut up, Lop."

"Well, 'Underneath It All' is mine," Natasha says. "I'm glad you kids haven't gotten caught up in deathstep. The 2000's will always have the best music."

Loki rolls his eyes because that is such a Midgardian thing to say. There were those who bemoaned the works of Wagner because they yearned for the days of Schubert, and now there are those of the widow's type who yearn for the days of "dubstep" or whatever they so eagerly listened to during the early years of the century.

Hloridi lifts his head, displaying that he is in fact an inch taller than the widow. A fact should not bring him such pride. "Cool."

"I have to be off, but I will see you soon." She touches his shoulder, and every ounce of control is used to keep Loki from snapping her out of existence. "_Farval_."

Albert bids them farewell and goes to ensure she gets to her destination safely though they are all aware that of the two of them he is one who needs protection.

Loptr frowns. "Ew, creepy. How did she know we even speak Danish?" 

"It's not that far off, you idiot. I mean, Father is a Norse god. Why wouldn't he speak it and teach us how to?"

Loki follows his sons from the school, glancing around for a familiar head of blond and letting out a breath when he sees none.

His "luck" or whatever shamble of the idea he carries around with him saved him from what was turning into an off-limits conversation. He has no plans of speaking to Thor about what led him here while they are within the walls of the school, and he does not want to speak about it at all anywhere, but Loki cannot ask for such impossible things.

He settles into his usual chair in the library with a tome of Midgardian alchemist experiments, and it is not very long before his sons file in one after the other, the three of them working in silence before Loptr speaks up.

"Father, Thor thinks we're his nephews."

He glances up from the book to let Loptr know he has his attention. How could he not when he mentions the name Thor?

"Tony said I looked like my uncle." Loptr chuckles and proceeds to grin his "uncle's" smile. "I laughed so hard."

"He probably thinks you're crazy," Hloridi says, exchanging a book for another on one of the many shelves. "I called him Uncle Traitor."

Loki cocks a brow. "And why did you call him that?"

"Because he let Tony Stark throw things at me. Any 'uncle' who would allow something like that is a traitor. And he's a traitor because he hangs out with those people. Hawkeye is the only one he should remotely tolerate. And Natasha. She's... nice."

"She's crazy!" Loptr shouts. "Her hair is a stupid color too! Men fall for her thrall like me and cats. By the way, Father, can we please get a cat?"

"You know the answer is no." He shuts the book and sets it aside to turn his full attention to the two boys standing in front of him. He is going to need it on them for where this conversation is headed. "Do either of you intend to correct that misconception?"

Hloridi grins. "No way."

"Um... no, not really."

Loki gestures for them to sit down on the carpet and again he is a new father attempting to read his fidgeting three year old sons an Asgardian storybook from his own childhood. Those moments were the ones that reinforced his decision to uproot his life in order to grant them the childhood they deserve.

"Father, is it weird that I don't really want him to know?" Hloridi asks. "I know he's our father, but... that's just weird."

"Yeah, we're cool with just you, Father. Thor can be our cool uncle who is really our dad but doesn't know because none of us want to tell him." Loptr beams. "That's a great idea, right?"

"I wish not for you to do something because of my own personal conflict with Thor," he says, "but I also do not want you to make a decision that you will come to regret. Your father's sudden appearance in your lives is complicated, and the consequences of my own decisions are affecting you both. If this is what you both truly want, you may continue to pretend that Thor is simply your uncle. I, myself, will make no motion to inform Thor of the knowledge that he is your father."

They nod and exchange a look with each other.

"Father, are you okay?"

Is Loki okay? Of course not. He has seen his "brother" for the first time in ten years, and said brother is unaware that they share more than love for each other: children, identical twin boys. His ignorance is only one of the problems with his reappearance though the biggest by far.

He exhales and stands. "Considering the circumstances, I am quite fine."

His lack of need for sleep is inconvenient because sleep is a way many creatures escape the problems of their waking lives. Then again, Loki is no coward, so facing these new problems falls to him at every moment of his life. There is no running from _this_.

_His stomach is flat beneath his hand, but appearances are deceiving. The thrum of magic beneath the skin and muscles is not his own. No, Loki knows his magic better than the knowledge that runs through his mind. _

_He knows what it means, has studied enough magic books to realize that one does not simply create new energy through division. No, new magic is conceived as the life that holds that new magic is. _

_It does not scare him as much as it should. There is a foreign entity inside of him, one so tightly wound into the strings of his magic that he can feel its own power when the words of spells leave him mouth. They are one yet two separate beings. Loki is its father. It is Loki's child._

_His eyes flutter shut as he brings his hands down his torso, reaching out and observing the dormant life that lies within his body, one that shares his energy and uses his life as nourishment. One could almost call it a parasite. But no, this child is Loki's, and no offspring of his will go by such a despicable title. This child will grow to be the greatest being the realms has seen in millennia, since the birth of Asgard's golden boy, since the birth of its father._

_He sends it love because love is what he's going to give it until he cannot give it any longer. _

_He gets love in return._

**Thor **

Never has Thor been more frustrated than he is after Loki continuously avoids any deeper conversation than a customary greeting or farewell throughout the remainder of the week. Each attempt to talk to his brother like a brother should is futile, and Thor is left staring after Loki's back as he goes on with his day as if Thor is nothing more than a colleague. They are both aware that they are more than colleagues to each other, more than brothers.

Hloridi is often a few feet behind Loki, turning a smirk on Thor as Thor fumes at being dismissed so easily. He may look like his father in appearance, but Hloridi is… him where Loki is involved. He revels in the rage that runs through Thor at the treatment he receives from Loki, and that streak of possessiveness Hloridi holds for his father is one too familiar to Thor.

He's two seconds away from forcibly conversing with his brother when Hloridi stops and turns to him, pulling those headphones of his around his neck. "You know, Father would probably talk to you if he weren't so sure you were going to turn it into a session of trivia, which I'm sure you've played before, right? He doesn't hate you."

Thor's eyes soften. "I do think that asking him such questions would not be so unreasonable."

"Well, he's Loki, Thor. You know how he is with these things." Hloridi pulls his headphones back onto his head. "Good luck. We both know you need it."

Luck has no use for Thor. It is a Midgardian concept that does not apply to his Asgardian life. He is a god, and what use is an abstract concept such as luck to one who is capable of what he is. He is capable of taking care of this and quite capable of teaching without Steven there to supervise him.

Steven's choice to accompany him for the entire week is more than unneeded. His presence is nothing more than an attempt for him to feel as if he is still the captain. Thor is not there for the Avengers though this is supposed to be an attempt for the Avengers to stop Loki from doing whatever they suspect him of planning. This is Thor's "mission."

The lack of progress on Loki's front is only consoled by the acceptance of one of three Laufeysons: Loptr. Unlike his father and brother, Loptr takes sympathy with Thor's struggle to talk to Loki, and he does not try to undermine Thor's authority every class period either. Also, the topics he and Thor converse about are never lacking in entertainment value or contribution to Thor's stores of life lessons.

"I suggested that he just ask Father, but no, Lori is too independent to get help from him." Loptr waves his glass around, and by some chance, he does not slosh his juice over the table and onto his peers. Sitting with Loptr and his friends is by far the better choice than sitting with Professor Hring and Thor's other colleagues. Wednesdays, Thor does sit with them on Wednesdays. "So when he did fall, I had to catch him. He didn't even thank me."

"I'm sure he meant to," Steven says.

"But his brother never thanks him," Avery, one of the many girls Loptr surrounds himself with, says. "He thinks he's too cool for those things."

Thor chuckles at the nods of agreement around the table.

"He's not even that cool," Chloe says. "You're the cool twin."

"And the cuter one."

Childish giggles come from around the table as Loptr flushes pink. Oh how proud does it make Thor to see him receive such praise from his peers, much like Thor received when he was just a boy. These Midgardians have no idea that they are victims to the looks of a godling.

Steven offers Loptr an apologetic look, a modest man himself.

"Um… thank you." Loptr meets Thor's eyes and flushes even more pink. "Anyway…"

Thor does not take favorites, but if he were forced to state which twin he preferred, he would not hesitate to answer with his lookalike Loptr.

"You're a bad teacher," Tony says when Thor happens to let his love for his… relative be known over dinner. "You can't like one twin over the other."

"Why can't he?" Bruce asks from across Thor. "They're not just his students anyway. I'm sure Loki has a favorite."

"No, he does not." Thor thinks of the neutral way Loki addresses his sons. "He treats them very equally."

Natasha purses her lips. "He's probably trying to give them what he didn't have."

No one dares a comment, and for that Thor is thankful. There is a strong truth to her words however much he wishes there were not. His own denial of the All-Father's favoritism for him came to an end with Loki's departure and the reaction, or lack of, from his father. He cannot deny his father's preference for him or the presence of it during their boyhood.

"Hloridi's better," Clint says. "He likes me. Any kid who likes me has some sense. And Loptr used me! What kid uses me to get at their brother?"

"A clever kid," Bruce says, and Thor nods his agreement.

Thor is awfully tempted to forbid Steven from coming when he states his intent to come again on Monday morning, but he lets Steven feel a semblance of usefulness and does not banish him from his trail. The man will be tolerated for another week of schooling before Thor informs him of his presence being unnecessary.

"Hi, Captain America," Maurice says as he takes his usual seat in the back. The students seem to disagree with Thor's exasperation, never failing to welcome Steven with grins and words of praise. Even Thor's ten days of teaching has not weaned their interest.

He and Steven are talking during his free period on Tuesday when Coach Green, an imposing man he met his fourth day, enters his classroom, staring at the two of them with wide eyes.

"Odinson, Rogers, you're needed pronto," he says, putting his hands on their shoulders and guiding them into the hallway. "I'm tired of Laufeyson and Laufeyson kicking the keesters of the other team. It's unfair and an injustice to the learning environment."

"Physical education?" Thor asks, cocking a brow.

"Thor, here on Earth, even the toughest kids need to learn how to take a butt kicking in matball." Coach Green pushes them through the gymnasium doors with an impressive amount of force for a Midgardian. "You two are on team A, the kicking team."

Children he has as students and other he does not stand around the expansive room, one much like the meeting halls back at the palace in Asgard, Midgardian armor of Tony Stark's design covering their soft parts. Thor has witnessed Midgardian sports playing and has partaken in Steven's favorite sport of baseball quite often, but the white illuminated spots on the rubber ground—such a material does not exist in Asgard, but is quite utilized here—and the ordinary sized ball in Hloridi's hand is foreign to him.

"I have not played matball before," he says as he follows Steven to where children stand in a line against a wall.

Steven greets the awestruck children with handshakes. "It's baseball, but you kick the ball instead and a few people get to stand on one base. It used to be mats, but you know how the future is. They just light up the ground now."

Thor shrugs. "That is not hard at all."

"We have two new members of team A!" Coach Green shouts from the center. "Rogers and Professor Odinson!"

"What? Coach Green, you can't do that!" Hloridi shouts. "They're adults!"

"They're awesome superheroes!" Loptr shouts. "Unfair!"

The coach sits down on the lone chair in the room. "What's unfair is that you two Laufeysons keep beating on the rest of the kids! This should teach you a lesson!" He blows a whistle. "Howard, you're up!"

Hloridi smirks as the boy goes to stand on one of the illuminated circles on the ground, and he rolls the ball in a straight cannonball, Howard narrowly managing to kick the ball and run.

Loptr leaps into the air and catches the ball. "Out!"

Thor almost claps, but Steven gives him a look of reminder that these are their opponents, however proud it makes him to see them demonstrate such athletic prowess.

Howard crosses his arms and slinks into line behind Thor. "We're never going to win. It's impossible to even get past them!"

"Kid, anything's possible," Steven says, inclining his head in his Captain America way.

Of the 20 students in front of them, two of them get out, three of them manage to make it to the fourth base, and one of them makes it back home and that student is Cooper. Thor chuckles at the look of rage Hloridi directs it Cooper upon crossing the home base.

Steve steps onto the base, and every student behind them cheers while the students on the other team groan.

"You're a dinosaur, Cap," Hloridi says with a smirk. "Dinosaurs can't run fast."

"Ornithomimids ran 25 miles per hour, Lori."

"Lop, I didn't ask you!" He bares his teeth and rolls the ball, Steven kicking the ball to the back wall of the gym.

Loptr retrieves the ball, but not fast enough for Hloridi. Hloridi shoves him and starts to shout at him for not catching it, allowing Steven to make it back to home base.

"Home run!"

Their team cheers, and Loptr throws the ball at Hloridi before he pointedly walks to the back wall of the gym. Such trivial conflict is more adorable than anything else.

"I never knew you would be such a terrible sport," Thor says as Hloridi walks to his spot. "And to blame your brother for something he had no control over is quite unsportsmanlike."

"Boo-hoo! I was mean to Lop! Who cares? You were like that too! He told me! Now, Thor, it's your turn to kick!"

Loptr does not catch the ball because even he does not have the ability to catch a ball 30 feet above his head. No, not yet.

Thor accepts high fives and fist bumps from his teammates when he returns back to home base after his home run. He was correct. This game is easy, almost comically so, and he is not even utilizing any of his godly abilities.

Their sudden score of 10 provides motivation to the other children on the team, and one by one they travel the bases though no one dares to leave the fourth base and travel home. The look of warning Hloridi directs them each time someone makes to run prevents that.

Steve kicks the ball, and the 10 students on the fourth base run, Thor giving them all high fives as they cross home base. Hloridi goes to jump in his path, but Steve jumps over him and continues running, ducking the launched ball and sliding past home base.

"You're such a boss!" a boy shouts as Steve calmly goes to the back of the line.

Thor smirks at a fuming Hloridi. "Are you going to roll the ball or continue to trash talk?"

"Oh whatever!"

He kicks the ball, and Loptr runs toward his brother, Hloridi turning and giving him a boost up into the air before the ball reaches a point where it is uncatchable. He stares in awe as Loptr catches the ball and lands in a somersault, proudly raising it above his head and shouting, "Out!"

"Three outs!" Coach Green shouts. "Switch sides."

Thor gets pats on the arm from students and reassurances that it's okay that he got out, and he exchanges a look with an amused Steven, barely containing an eye roll. His relatives' use of acrobatics is a new variable in this game, and Thor has taken note. He will not get out. Ever again.

Steven is relegated as pitcher, and Thor goes to stand on the outer reaches of the gym.

Hloridi goes first to no one's surprise, and Thor takes great satisfaction in Steven getting him out. He goes to shout at the next student in line, but Coach Green instructs him to go to the back, Hloridi murmuring about unfairness.

Steven relents his pitching for the next five students, and they all make it past him to the other bases. When Loptr comes to kick, he turns and nods to Thor before pitching it again at speeds much too high for most men to kick.

Loptr kicks the ball and slides on his knees to the first base, Steven's choice not to pursue him giving him the advantage.

"Unfair!" Hloridi shouts. Has this boy not learned that life is not always fair?

The children in front of Hloridi go and get past with a little help from Steven's altruistic ways and need for justice against those in the wrong, which is Hloridi in this situation. It is so unfortunate because Hloridi could be quite the player if he put his own personal vendettas aside.

"Pst!"

Thor turns to look in Loptr's direction on third base, cocking a brow.

"Hey, he's going to kick it way back here this time," he says.

"Is it not betrayal to tell me this?"

"It is, but he's being pretty mean, meaner than usual, to me, so… this is just revenge." Loptr turns to face forward, and Thor chuckles.

The door behind Thor opens, and he turns to see who it is, something inside of him guiding him to do so.

Loki looks surprised to see him.

Thor lifts his hand and catches the ball, back still turned to the game. "Out!"

"Impressive," Loki says, "though not for you."

He walks alongside him, throwing the ball to Steven. "What brings you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing seeing as how you are an English teacher, but you are also Thor, the God of Thunder, and physical activity is one of your many talents." He puts on a smile as Loptr approaches. "Hello, my son."

"Father, Hloridi-"

"Father, Coach Green is allowing this injustice to occur!" Hloridi shouts, standing in front of them with his arms crossed. "He got Captain America and Thor to play on the other team because they suck so much! How is that cool?"

"Need I remind you that your participation is also unfair?" Loki touches their shoulders. "I require conversation with Coach Green. I bid you all farewell."

"Father is totally being unfair."

"No, you are!" Loptr shoves Hloridi. "Why are you being so mean? We're supposed to work as a team, and you're always screaming!"

"Maybe because I have to show you how much we have to win!"

"Hey, you two, stop arguing." Steven puts on his Captain America face, and Thor grins. "You're brothers, and no one wants to listen to you screaming. Honestly, we have better things to do than hear how much you hate each other. For one, we have a game to play, which we can't if you waste time. Also, your team is out."

"Out?" they both exclaim.

"Laufeyson and Laufeyson have finally been defeated!" Coach Green shouts. "We're out of time, but tomorrow, Rogers and Odinson, you're going to show these kids that their reign is over."

"I hate you!" they shout, pointing at each other before going their separate ways.

He feels a sense of déjà vu at seeing them act in such a way, and he looks up and meets Steven's eyes. He sees it as well though not even the captain will say it.

**Loki**

At the sight of Thor sitting with Loptr, Loki smiles.

"Wow, you're in a good mood today," Albert says as they sit down at the staff table.

He nods a greeting to his colleagues. "I do not feel neither happy nor sad, Albert. Is that not a cause for smiling?"

"Anything is cause for you smiling," Eric says, and Loki suppresses an eye roll at something so trite. "How's your day been?"

"Fine," he replies, and he looks to where Loptr's table is laughing, the captain and Thor included in the laughter. It was premature to think that Thor and Hloridi would get along due to their similarity in personality, but Hloridi is Thor before his exile to Midgard. Not many like to dwell in their past, the god of thunder included.

"Father." Hloridi stands with his chin proud, his Thorian face. "I have come to ask you something."

"Finally you're not getting dragged here," Eric says, and though his commentary is not needed, Loki does agree.

"I am listening."

"You should come to sit with us," he says. "Thor is sitting with Loptr, and you're always telling me about things being fair."

"You want to get back at your brother, hm?"

The consequences of Thor's ignorance of his "nephews" truly being his children are surfacing, including his natural compatibility with Loptr. As much as Hloridi claims to not care about their relationship, he is affected by it. He wants to be liked by his father as much as Loptr does.

Hloridi exhales and leans into Loki's ear. "I hate him."

"Please, Hloridi, speak what you mean," he says. "I have no time for your evasion."

"Yes, Father, okay? Why does Thor like him so much? He's boring and hangs out with girls."

Loki sighs. "Why do you not go sit with your brother?"

"Ew, Father!" He grimaces. "Sit with him? I would rather lick the ground!"

At the sound of children starting to exclaim words of awe and sing a theme song he wishes he didn't know, he looks up and glances the remaining members of the Avengers entering the cafeteria. The day he comes from his classroom to eat with the general population just happens to be the day they grace the school with their presence as an entire group.

Hloridi grins as Clint points at him and beckons him over. "Never mind, Father. Someone cooler than Thor has come!"

The Avengers have helped him solve a sibling conflict. Never in the ten years he's been a father would he have guessed something so farfetched to occur.

Bruce Banner and Natasha follow Hloridi and Clint to Hloridi and his friend's table while Tony Stark joins Thor and the captain at Loptr's table. A good compromise until one of them decides that they wish for one more member to join them, upsetting the balance of Avengers members at each table.

"Wow, we have all the Avengers in our cafeteria," Martin says. "This is strange and out of the blue."

"Why does Thor wish to teach suddenly?" Mark asks. He frowns. "I suspect something else is at work."

"Mark, you're the conspiracy theorist of conspiracy theorists," Eric says. "He probably wanted a break from being a god. I would want one too."

Thor's presence as well as that of his teammates does not fool Loki as some ploy to only get answers. They are here with ulterior motives, ones that Loki will be wise of within the month. His life is not the only one affected. Hloridi and Loptr are children, one's with more at stake than any others on Midgard. He will do what it takes to protect them, and if he has to keep Thor at arm's length, he will do that.

His attempts to talk to him have fortunately all failed, and Loki feels nothing but relief at the forlorn looks Thor wears when Loki dismisses him with a one word greeting. If he feels as though there is not chance for them to work out their relationship issues and "restart" as he seems to want, Thor will leave and hopefully his friends will go with him.

"Loki."

Loki continues walking down the desolate hallway, acting as if he does not hear Thor behind him.

"Loki." Thor touches his shoulder, and Loki finally stops, giving him a sharp look.

"You have my attention," he says after he casts a quick glance around the hallway. "Speak."

"You know that I cannot say what must be said within the window you are giving me."

"Condense, Thor. You are a teacher now. You know about condensing your words to get your point across."

Thor exhales. "Will you ever tell me why?"

"Will I?" He smiles as Eric approaches them. "Eric, hello, let us talk."

As he walks away with Eric, he thinks of the look on Thor's face. It is not his fault that Thor is not putting the puzzle pieces together, and it is not his job to give him the explanation needed for him to see the reason Loki left the way he did.

The tension caused by Thor's relationship with Loptr is evident over breakfast and dinner, and Loki watches his sons regard each other with cool expressions, wanting to tell them that there is no needed for their reaction over something so insignificant.

One cannot choose who they like as much as they can choose who they hate, but they are children, and Loki was a child quite a while ago. He despised Thor by his own doing, attempted to push his brother and the accompanying feelings away. Loki failed, but his sons seem to be succeeding.

He feels almost like the All-Father at the head of the table as his sons sit across from each other and prod at their food with disinterest. He often cast disapproving looks at Thor and Loki during their quarrels, and Loki was often the one given the harsher treatment.

"Will you both-?" Loki sighs. "You are both excused to your rooms."

They get up and leave the table without as much as a word, and Loki leans back in his chair.

Yet again his sons are at each other's throats, but this time, there is an actual reason.

He chuckles and shakes his head.

Thor.

**Thor**

"You have a curriculum meeting today."

He slings his bag over his shoulder and turns to where Steven is fumbling with the cuff of his sleeve. "Yes," he replies, "I am aware."

"You are also aware that Loki is the head teacher, so that's his area, right?"

"Steven, yes, I am aware of that as well." He opens the front door and exits.

Steven's assumption that he cares not for this job other than the obvious goal of getting answers from his brother is wrong. Thor has paid attention to his duties as a teacher. If Thor Odinson is going to teach, he is not going to give a lazed performance.

The knowledge that he is going to talk to Loki and Loki has no choice but to listen and respond makes his classes drag on. He paces as he speaks, and Steven often ends up doing the same in the back of the classroom, shooting Thor inquisitive looks that go unanswered.

Two weeks of being avoided come to an end at the end of the day, and Thor will go into the weekend with a new sense of victory.

"Thor, are you okay?" Steven asks as they participate in today's chosen sport of dodgeball. "You seem on edge."

Thor dodges Hloridi's throw and responds with an attack of his own, Hloridi back flipping away from the ball and giving him a triumphant look. "I am fine, Steven," he replies, and he lets out a cheer as he gets Loptr out with a hit in the knee.

After a victory for Thor's team, they exchange the customary handshakes of good sportsmanship, and as Thor goes to shake Hloridi's hand, he finds himself being stared down with an intensity he's only gotten from one other being in the realms.

"If you try asking Father anything, you should know that he's going to ignore you," he says as he shakes Thor's hand. "Wait until you're finished with academic talk then he might give you the time of the day. He thinks you think this is a joke or some mission."

"But it is not."

"Show him that." Hloridi gives him a warning look. "Thor, I'm helping you out here. You owe me now."

"Oh no." Loptr shakes his head. "If you owe Lori, you're doomed."

Thor sighs at the ominous tone of Loptr's voice. "Thank you."

Hloridi winks. "No problem, Uncle Thor."

The twins share a chuckle that Thor does not understand though he will ask Loptr what is so amusing about the title.

His eighth period, he is dismissed from his class by Professor Hring to the meeting, and Steven nods him a well wish before he exits the classroom.

Loki stands there with his disingenuous smile intact. I assume you are sufficiently prepared, Professor Odinson, correct?"

"Of course," he replies, and he follows Loki, failing to suppress his grin at his insistence on being so formal with him. He understands when they are within the presence of others, but they are alone.

He starts to ask Loki the same question he's asked each time they've encountered each other, but Hloridi's warning prevents him from voicing his words. He does not wish to frighten Loki off, and he has enough time to get Loki to a point where he will feel comfortable in answering such a question.

Loki shuts the door of an empty conference room, and Thor follows his form with his eyes, unable to stop himself from admiring the grace that only Loki possesses. "If you would please take a seat."

As children, Loki often took upon the role of dominator during his lessons and demonstrations of his magical abilities to Thor, and Thor did everything he instructed. If Loki had attempted to take over this realm then, Thor would have done nothing but followed his every whim. All because of the involuntary spell Loki held over him.

Thor looks at Loki from across the length of the table and having him alone to himself stirs something deep inside Thor's gut, the words coming from Loki's mouth fading into the background as Thor maps the too-long foreign lines and curves of Loki's body beneath his green sweater and rightly fitted pants.

Loki places his palms on the table, breaking Thor from his admiration. "Professor Odinson, it would be wise if you kept your mind on the current topic."

He nods and spares a few replies to the questions he's asked though his mind quickly strays back to the sight of Loki. He maintains eye contact, but in his periphery, he absorbs the long-lost shapes of him. Forbid he lose Loki again, this will be what he remembers of him, and Thor will not mind at all.

He goes to the window, eyes harlequin, and Thor's eyes go to his sleek profile. "I have no idea why you are here, or what you are here for, but I must admit that I am fascinated with the lengths you have gone to ensure your authenticity," he says. "Your perceived dedication is noted among the staff."

Loki's own methods to get to where he is remain a mystery to SHIELD, but Thor spent millennia with him, enough to know that this is merely the work of Loki and his gift of words. When one is engaged in conversation with him, his history is the farthest thing from one's mind. The present, what he is saying, becomes central. Constructing a new life here on Midgard was probably the easiest thing his brother ever did, and ironically, the best he's hidden from others.

"What of yours?"

"What of mine?" Loki turns to look at him. "Are you asking what I did to stay under the radar of Midgard's powers that be?"

"Precisely."

"Oh, Thor, you are well aware that I have done much harder things than falsify my origins and those of my children. I am sure you are also aware that I took the liberty of carrying said children, and I am glad to inform you that men do not often give the credit to women where it is due. I would rather face defeat at the hands of Bruce Banner's alter ego than experience childbirth again."

He frowns. He was absent for the birth of his relatives, and there are many events Thor is willing to miss, but that was not one of them. Promises of support from Thor's side whenever Loki decided to get pregnant were broken because of Thor's ignorance to his brother's pregnancy. The guilt he feels should not be there, but it is.

Thor stands. "Loki-"

"Your pity is unneeded."

"I do not pity you," he says with a dismissive gesture. "We have spent ten years apart, a small fraction of our lifetimes, but in that time, your life has taken many turns. I wish to reacquaint myself with this new life of yours, Loki. That is truly why _I_ am here."

"And how do you plan to do this?"

Overhead, the bell rings.

He beams. "Lunch."

"What? Thor, are you asking me-?"

Thor opens the door and lets Loki exit first. "The twins will accompany us of course. I wish to spend time together as a… family."

Loki stares at him, brow furrowed. "Thor, what are you expecting from me?"

"Answers," he replies, and he touches Loki's shoulder, sighing inwardly at the sensation of Loki's mixture of magic and energy beneath his fingers. "Tomorrow, we will go to lunch, and I will ask, and you will answer in whatever way suits you."

"Thor-"

He puts a finger to Loki's lips and barely restrains his need to replace the finger with his own lips. "Steven," he says as Steven approaches. "Tomorrow, I am going to lunch with Loki and the twins. You will contact Loki with the specific details such as location." He removes his finger and grins. "I will see you tomorrow."

"Father—Oh, hi, Thor."

He ruffles Loptr's already unruly hair. "I bid you all farewell. Steven, come."

"So, the meeting went well?"

Thor pats Steven's shoulder. "Excellent."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the day delay. I have been busy IRL.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Midgardian Foodstuff Rendezvous**

**Loki**

When Loptr cheers and Hloridi gives a noncommittal shrug, Loki feels as though he is the only one with any recollection of why he has been avoiding Thor. His sons are suddenly "team Thor," which is not a surprise in Loptr's case, but he was quite sure that Hloridi felt nothing but contempt for him. Hloridi's usual fluctuation of mood yet again makes its appearance at a time when Loki would like for nothing more than the boy to make a decision and stick with it.

Then again, Loki can be an indecisive person himself, so he accepts some of the blame for his son's nature.

Loptr's choice to dress in blue and red is some attempt to penetrate the subconscious of his parents and get them to reconcile, and Loki's noticing of this tactic spells out the plan's failure on his end. Thor, on the other hand, may be too oblivious to notice more than how much he enjoys the combination of the two colors. Loki does quite like them himself.

When he comes to find Hloridi talking on the phone to the one and only "Captain America," he makes no motion to take the phone from his son. He would rather avoid talking to the man more than needed, and if Hloridi takes joy in that, who is Loki to stop him?

Hloridi retells him what Steven told him word for word, grinning as Loki rolls his eyes and urges him to get to the point. Four minutes are taken for Loki to get the address of Thor's chosen establishment, and by the time he does, Hloridi and Loptr are laughing at the look of exasperation Hloridi is getting.

"You are lucky I did not render your speechless," he says, and they stop laughing instantly. Such insignificant curses do no permanent harm, so it is not above him to show his sons just how he feels about their behavior.

He passes the mirror in the foyer and adjusts the lapels of his blazer.

"Father, you look fine," Loptr says.

"Yeah, Thor's going to think you look smokin'."

Loki sends them an incredulous look in the mirror as they giggle. As revenge for their amusement over his need to be sure that he is at his best as always, he does a brake check at the end of their street and openly laughs at the flailing of their long limbs.

"'Smokin','" he says with a smirk. Where do they get such colloquialisms when there are thousands of other sufficient words, actual words that mean attractive, at their disposal? The Midgardians are rubbing off on them, and Loki can only shake his head.

In the decade and six months he has spent as a resident of Midgard, he has never gone on what so many term a "date." He has little to no interest in any relationship with any of the residents of this planet because they are Midgardians and his heart lies elsewhere. When he left Asgard, he did not sever link of emotions he felt for him, and as a consequence, he has been and more than likely will always be perpetually… in love with his "brother."

Perhaps the fact that they are not truly brothers is more of a gift than a curse. His sons are not like the denizens of their homeworld who share more than relations as siblings, and the relationship Loki shared with Thor is not as forbidden as some would view it. They are not true brothers like their sons are.

Even so, Thor's insistence on calling him as such does make for strange stories to tell his sons. For a person so bent on right and upholding good, he had no problem with extending their relationship into territory usually reserved for lovers. Loki corrupted the golden boy and still he takes pride in such a fact.

Hloridi shoves Loptr out of the car, but Loptr maintains his balance. "Move."

"You made me already, you idiot!"

Loki puts a hand on their shoulders and guides them forward, immediately spotting a blond head seated at one of the tables outside of the restaurant windows. He also notices the graying back of the head of his companion beside him. He gulps but continues across the street.

Thor is the first to turn around, and his grin manages to push some of the gathering apprehension into a place deep within him for later discharging. He stands just as they reach the sidewalk. "I am pleased to see you."

"Ditto to that," Loptr says, and Hloridi goes to slap him, Loki catching his wrist.

"Sorry."

He lets his wrist go and nudges them both forward. "Your apology is accepted."

As he goes to take a seat, he finally sees the face of Bruce Banner for the first time since Loki was muzzled, shackled, and defeated.

Bruce Banner tilts his spectacles down and pulls the sleeves of his purple shirt to his elbows. "Loki."

Loki finally sits down. "Bruce." He clenches his fists as snickers come from either side of him.

"I'm Hloridi, and that's Loptr." Hloridi shakes his hand across the table, and Loki looks at their interlinked hands with dread. A simple misstep and Bruce could transform into something that could hurt them. Perhaps Thor's side would protect them from that misfortune. "You can call me Lori and him Lop though."

Bruce turns a contemptuous look on Loki, and Loki narrowly manages to keep eye contact. "So, how has your life been?"

"Since the beat down?" Hloridi asks, and he and Loptr snicker again.

"Um…"

"Fine," Loki replies. "Just fine."

"And un-hulk-ly," Loptr says. "You can tell by the lack of bruises."

His recount of the events of that day did include the… battle between him and Banner, and in retrospect, he should have glossed over that. He did not expect his sons to find such a thing hilarious. It is not funny. At all.

"Boys…" Bruce shakes his head.

"Watch out. Might scare Father-"

"Hloridi," Thor says. "Loptr."

"What? We're just-"

"You will cease making jests of such matters you cannot comprehend the severity of." He gives them both a look of warning, one that has even made Loki stop and listen to what Thor is requesting. "Am I understood?"

They both nod, and Loki scoffs.

"You are both traitors in several regards." He gives them a look of disgust.

Thor looks satisfied with himself as always. "We will all order before we continue the evening as planned," he says, and yet again, Thor's will is the future.

His unease with Bruce has dropped by a miniscule amount by the time he has tasted his food, but he is still wary with his presence. He is not one to be relaxed around, and he hopes that his sons will not learn from experience as he has.

"Why Maine?" Bruce asks. A simple question he is not hesitant to answer.

"Maine has a continental climate, which is quite great for seasonal variety. The winters are cold, perfectly so, and the summers are warm but not too warm. Having grown up in a realm of summer when it is my true nature to favor the cold, it is a great compromise."

"What's he saying is snow," Loptr says. "Father wanted us to have snow."

"Interesting," he replies. "You actually sounded… like you know what you're talking about, like a teacher."

"Bruce, my friend, I have told you all many times that Loki's love of knowledge is quite compatible with Midgardian teaching of sciences. I do not jest about such things."

"No," Bruce says, "you really don't. But I get it. There's a nice climate, okay, but Massachusetts has the exact same one, and it's not that far away. Why here?"

Of course for someone like Bruce his explanation of environment was not satisfactory, and if Loki were in his position, it would not suit him either, but he has no talents of seeing through the transparent shells of Midgardian words as Loki does. He can only watch and analyze the information he's supplied, and for seeing past Loki's evasiveness, he has earned a semblance of his tolerance and an answer.

"It is removed. The population is slightly over one million and the density is among the lowest of this country."

"It's a good hiding place."

Loki stares back at the man. "Precisely," he says. "It did take SHIELD over a decade to locate me, did it not? And honestly, I have not been hiding myself very well have I? A simple Google search of my name would have sufficed if one was willing to go past the front page. Then again, your Midgardian attention spans are not conductive for delving in deeper than the surface. The generation of 'now' is what you are all so often called."

Bruce crosses his arms and leans back in his seat. "Can't argue with that. So, you come to Maine. What about the teaching? You have your magic obviously. Odin failed at taking all of that."

He chuckles at the thought of the All-Father's futile attempt to eradicate his magic as a consequence of his "crimes" against the realms. Such an action is almost ironic in the regard that it was the cause of Loki's unplanned pregnancy. Without his magic to prevent any results to his relations, conception was a possibility. Probability was not in the favor of him remaining childless, thus Hloridi and Loptr were created. Another dimension to the irony is that they allowed him to unleash the magic Odin attempted to seal away for eternity. They have his gratitude as well as his love.

"Yes, the All-Father was unsuccessful."

"How?"

Thor sends Bruce an irritated look.

"You know we're sorcerers too," Hloridi says.

"We were born this way," Loptr says, and he and his brother reach behind Loki to bump fists.

"Let us say that his initial goal ended in an immense failure. I teach because it is one of the few things that has managed to hold my interest," Loki says. "I think it is my turn to ask you both questions, is it not? I shall start with the obvious. What are the intentions of the Avengers with your insertion of yourselves into our lives?"

"Wow, Father, you sound like-" Hloridi closes his mouth when Loki holds up a finger.

Thor appears unfazed by such a query, but the years Loki has spent with him have taught him not to be fooled by Thor's exterior. His father raised him to seal his emotions inside and project the demeanor of one who rules. Inside, Thor is as empathetic as the Midgardians, those he so direly wishes to protect.

"My intentions are to be with my brother and his two sons," he says, and Loki doesn't react outwardly.

Hloridi starts to clap. "Wow, Thor, that was great. Think we can do that take again-?"

"I feel completely the opposite!" Loptr shouts. "I want to get away from my brother!"

"I feel the same!"

"Good!"

"You both argue a lot," Bruce says.

"I thought there was only one captain on the avengers," Hloridi replies. "Guess people missed Captain Obvious."

Loki masks his chuckle by taking a sip from his glass. His sons are far too clever for the good of these Midgardians. They know not how to handle such words as Loki does. The twins are another part of his recompense to the traumatized denizens of Midgard.

"Tony may have to increase his own output of wit," Thor says when he stops chuckling that strident laugh of his. "Lori, I am quite impressed."

"You shouldn't be," Loptr says. "Tony Stark is the awesomest person with the wittiest things to say ever. Lori only says stupid things that Cooper could come up with."

He raises his brows at what he knows is coming, and Thor returns the same knowing look. Cooper is a topic that means definite conflict, and Thor understands. Perhaps their shared place of employment is not such a terrible thing after all.

"Take that back!"

"What? It's the truth!"

Hloridi crosses his arms and stares down at his plate. His inability to conjure flames via eye is convenient.

"Do they ever apologize, or-?"

"I'm sorry!" Loptr shouts, cheeks red.

"It's fine."

With the twins forgoing speaking to each other, the three of them fall into their own silence, one that could be counted as companionable if Loki were not partially averse to their presence. If Thor's claim that he is here to become a fixture in their lives holds any truth, in time Loki could come to view them as something more than interlopers with ulterior motives.

Even if Thor is telling the truth, his five team members may still have other reasons as to why they are here.

"Father, it's going to rain tomorrow."

He glances at Loptr's pensive expression, the one he gets when he discusses the weather.

"No, it is not," Hloridi says. "Just because you've guessed right like 20 times doesn't make you a meteorologist."

"You're just mad that you can't sense it!" Loptr points toward the clear blue sky. "I can, and that makes you just as mad! I'm even more connected to him. The weather is proof of that! I'm more like our father than you, and you're jealous!"

Thor cocks an eyebrow, and he and Bruce exchange a secret look.

"Oh, whatever!"

Bruce pulls his spectacles off. "Loki, who is their… other father?"

Loki would easily brush off such a question if it were anyone else, but the underlying threat of upsetting Bruce makes him choose his words carefully. As he goes to reply with a very vague answer, Loptr shrieks.

"Spider!" He leaps onto the table. "Spider!"

"And I'm more like Father than you, brother!"

Loki looks at Hloridi with a word of derision on his tongue, but Hloridi winks at him, and the word dies. His sons are not entirely traitors then, or at least Hloridi is not. "Your help is thanked however extreme it was," he mentally sends as he banishes the large spider with the wave of his hand. His son's choice of bright green and red causes him to smile.

Hloridi nods his understanding and turns to ask Bruce a question about the experience of turning into the hulk, and Loptr shouts an apology to the other diners though they all are too occupied with staring at Bruce and Thor to do much besides nod and smile.

**Thor**

"But who is their other father?" Bruce asks for the 14th time since their return from lunch. He sits in the lone armchair on the patio overlooking the green expanse of yard and alternates from scrolling down his notes of Midgardian sciences and voicing his query.

The success of their outing leaves Thor with a feeling of triumph, one he has not felt in quite a while. If this is what it feels like to have one's life whole again, Thor welcomes this new era of his existence. He has lingered in a state of living but not truly enjoying, but today has marked that change into enjoyment.

Thor leans on the smooth metallic railing. "As I have told you many times before, I am as unaware as you are," he says, "and I do not intend to find out if I can help as such. I would rather not subject a man to the torture he must endure for his treatment of my brother and my two relatives."

"How do you know it's a 'man?'" Natasha asks, coming to sit atop the railing. "What if it was another Asgardian or something?"

He exhales. He does not need to be reminded that only ten years ago his brother was with another at the same time as they were. Loki's own nomadic ways with selective lovers often brought him rage because he could not help but let him do as he pleased out of fear of pushing him away, but the addition of two sons brings a new seriousness to this situation.

"They're ten."

"Yeah, ten years ago is when Loki left."

"What is the use of dredging up old wounds, my friends?"

"We're just trying to figure it out, Thor," Natasha says. "He's so secretive, and this is a pretty big secret."

"Nine months is how long a person carries a child, right?" Bruce asks. "You guys have the same thing going on inside, so it can't be that far off. He left in June in our time, and their stuff says their birthday is December 21st."

Thor turns and sees that Bruce is holding up his StarkPad which displays two pictures of two boys he has gotten quite familiar with as well as text below. His interest in Thor's relatives is strange, almost suspicious. "You were reading your journals of science, Bruce. What happened to that?"

He shrugs. "Other things are more important. Anyway, that puts their conception in March, right?"

He shuts his eyes and gathers himself. He does not wish to be reminded of the secret excursions Loki went on during the months prior to his departure. Loki's strange behavior puzzled him, made him wonder just what he was doing wrong when things were going so well, and now he knows that it was nothing he was doing wrong. Loki was doing wrong with others, and he left because of his cowardly need to hide the consequences of his wrongdoing.

It is enough that he deprived Thor of closure, but he also deprived him of knowing his two nephews as he so wishes he were able to.

"They often say that those alike don't get along, which is kind of like how you and Hloridi don't get along." She smiles. "Stark is always saying that he and his father didn't get on, but that's because they're one in the same."

Thor narrows his eyes at her. "What is it that you both are attempting to get at? What business of yours is it that perhaps Loki was with an Asgardian or Midgardian? Are you not to be focused on Loki, and not his secret excursions?"

"Thor-"

"Tell me what I am unaware of that you are both obviously clued in on."

"We think-"

"Natasha, Bruce." Steven stands in the doorway, his arms crossed. "You two are to not say any more about Loki's children's paternity. It is not the team's business. We are here to provide support and to help out, not to cause unneeded conflict. I apologize, Thor, for their conduct."

"We don't need you to parent us, Rogers," Natasha says. "I'm not sorry, but… Steve is right. We'll tone it down."

"I make no promises," Bruce says. "I am helping, and I will continue to try to. I'm calling it a night."

"Natasha."

She sends him a look of apology before following Steven and Bruce inside.

He looks up at the cerulean sky. Tomorrow it will rain. He can feel it.

_The halls are empty at this time of the day, the crones off to gossip, the men off to drink, and Thor is off to do as he always does: see his brother._

_He squints his eyes at the familiar blond figure approaching opposite, unused to encountering others within these halls. It is quite known that this is Loki's domain, and those foolish enough to venture down here are liable to face the consequences. Even without his magic, Loki is formidable, and with the occurrence of him being so severely underestimated by his opponents, he is more than often the victor. _

_Hermod flashes him a grin as they pass, a grin uncharacteristic of those who face Loki these days. "Good day, Brother Thor."_

_He gives him a grin in return though his stomach churns as he thinks of just why he was not infuriated or sorrowful. Loki does not welcome many with open arms. He does not welcome anyone at all. Thor has fought for his place with Loki unlike Hermod who only drops in when the All-Father is not tasking him. He has no _right_ to see Loki._

_The doors open to the library, his brother's chosen refuge from the scornful looks those dare to direct his way when Thor's attention is rarely cast elsewhere. For another day in this turning of the sun, a smile that illuminates the room greets Thor among the mountains of tomes. The golden spires of Valhalla do not compare to the grin of his brother._

_"Thor, you are returned early."_

_He glances over Loki's glowing façade, a glow that Thor has seen many a time after they-_

_He gulps down bile and turns his gaze elsewhere. "I was unneeded."_

_"You are the future king of Asgard, Thor," he replies, and his voice does not hold as much scorn as it usually does. In fact, it has not for quite a while. Why? "You will always be needed."_

_He sits down on the table in front of Loki, uncaring if he is in his way. Another look at the satisfied look on Loki's face almost sends him into a rage, but his rage quickly fades into confusion. What has Thor done this time to earn such treatment? _

_"Thor, is there something you wish to talk about?"_

_No, there is nothing that Thor ever wishes to talk about while Loki is like… this. He cannot bear to think of another daring to… to touch _his_ Loki! Is it not enough that he has given his word that he will never dare to wrong him? Must he declare the love he holds for his brother to the entirety of Asgard? Must he give up his throne?_

_"Do you intend to read that, or may I have it?" Loki's hand lies atop his, a book somehow having gotten into Thor's hands, and the thrum that Thor felt for the first time days ago is present and much stronger._

_"Loki, is there something you wish to talk about?"_

_He removes his hands as if burned, and his arms come to wrap around his midsection. Such a gesture Thor has seen before though he is afraid he cannot place it. It is a defensive posture, but what does Loki need to defend against?_

_Him?_

_"No," he replies as he takes the book from Thor's hands. "I do wish to read."_

_Thor thinks of calling upon Mjolnir and forcing Loki to lift her again, to ask him just what it is that has changed in him._

_How is he worthy yet so wicked? _

**Loki**

With the impending event of Homecoming occurring on Friday and Loki's established reputation as the visionary of their school, he has to prepare himself for a week of pretending to feel more than minimal tolerance for the hordes of Midgardians he insists of surrounding himself with. When it is him talking and them listening, he almost forgets that they are nothing more than uncreative creatures with a love to be led.

Yes, as much as the Avengers insisted that their fellow Midgardians did not wish to be ruled, Loki has come to learn that he was right—of course he was. They are far too proud and clouded by their own perceptions of their world to see that in the heart of every "human" lies a need to be directed or ruled.

As for Asgardians? He cannot say the same, and as much as that would satisfy him a decade ago, he has two half-Asgardian children. The Asgardians do quite love to submit to the All-Father, but the Jõtnar would rather face death than such a fate, and they are as fiercely independent as the Asgardians.

Perhaps facing the results of combining the two is a consequence of his past missteps.

"Lori, I don't care!"

"No, Lop! You look like a nerd!"

Yes, definitely "karma."

Loki sighs and enters the kitchen to see his two sons in their chosen costumes for "Movie character day." Andrew, Dana, and Christian sit around Hloridi, each of them also dressed in their chosen—designated because Loki knows Hloridi and how their friendship operates—character costumes.

"Loptr, you look fine," he says as he runs his fingers down Loptr's straighten strands of blond. "Hloridi, you look fine as well. Andrew, Christian, Dana, the same as well for you."

"Thanks, professor."

"Yeah, ditto."

Hloridi sticks his chin out, and Loki adjusts his tricorne. "Father, I make Johnny Depp himself look like a beta."

"Do decide to speak English, Hloridi," he replies as he runs one of his hands down Hloridi's leather tunic and the other down Loptr's cape. He gives a satisfied nod. "There are an abundance of words that suggest inferiority, and you settle for a colloquialism."

"Father, don't ruin my style."

"You have none."

Hloridi's three sycophants laugh though Hloridi is not.

"Shut up, elf."

"How is that an insult? It's the truth? Legolas is a grey elf, Jack Sparrow!"

Loki circles around the counter to give his sons and Hloridi's friends another once over. The twins may have inherited his eye for creativity, but they are only children, and any small inaccuracy will be missed. Loki cannot and will not have any inaccuracies with the costumes he himself created. Midgardian costuming is far too easy for him to fail at.

"Father, I must tell you that I disagree with your allegiances," Loptr says, giving him a strained look. "You are on the dark side."

"Anakin Skywalker is not on the dark side," he replies with a smirk, and he pulls his hood over his head. "Darth Vader is."

Hloridi and his companions withdraw their plastic machetes from their belt and hold it out to Loki.

"Father, I must warn you to stay away from the elf, or you will walk the plank!"

Loki chuckles and drops his hood. "Come so we may show these… people what Spirit Week is truly about."

Each year, he gradually builds up the garishness of his chosen clothes for the theme of the day until Homecoming Friday. His first year, he was the father of ten month old twins who had an unlimited source of energy, but that did not stop him from showing them just who the "new guy" was. He did not truly show them the bounds of his artistic "skill" as they continue to be ignorant of his true identity, but the precedent was set and continuously topped.

Loki returns the Jedi greetings he receives from students dressed as other characters from the Star Wars franchise and the nods he gets from those who are not. He bids farewell to Hloridi and his friends when they decide that showing their costumes off to Cooper and his friends who are dressed as characters from Harry Potter, films Loki has seen far too many times for his liking, is his top priority and accepts the elven farewell he receives from Loptr before he joins his fellow Lord of the Rings characters.

During his childhood, his… "parents" did not do things such as costume making or other activities that required extended periods of their time. They were far too busy with overseeing peace and tranquility.

"Loki!" Eric jogs the rest of the hall to catch up with him, the whip at his belt swaying. He bows before speaking. "Hello, my dark lord."

He glances over his canvas and khaki. "Indiana Jones."

His face lights up as if he is a child. "Yeah! I'm so-"

"Professor!" Tony Stark's moments of entry are quite convenient.

He and Clint walk ahead of Thor, the three of them dressed in clothes more fitting for the priests Midgardians seek worship under. Loki runs it through his mind for a few seconds before he places where he's seen such garbs.

"Mr. Stark," he says, "Mr. Barton."

"We look great, don't we?" Tony asks, and Loki's eyes leave the two of them and stray to a much more joyous sight behind them.

In a costume one could mistake for a zealot, he manages to still shame the creatures around him.

"Professor Odinson," Loki says.

Thor removes his glasses which appear extremely ridiculous on Clint and Tony. "Professor Laufeyson," he says, and that all too familiar simper of his is there until he turns his gaze to Eric. "Professor Hring."

"Hello, Professor Odinson. _The Matrix_. Nice though I think the original was the best," he replies. "Too bad it will be lost on so many kids-"

"Shut your blasphemous mouth!" Clint shouts. "These children will know the wonders of the Matrix. You wait, Indiana Jones. Who even watches that anymore? It's 2025, not 1985. Stark, Odinson, let's bounce."

Loki sighs at the sight of the three of them sauntering through the halls and not sparing a look to the awestruck students they encounter. His eyes trail to where Thor's cassock billows behind him in place of his usual robe.

"They looked pretty cool."

He nods and leaves Eric staring after them in envy.

In his first five classes, four females are dressed as Padme, and as they attempt to explain that it is merely coincidence, Loki inwardly laughs at their adolescent belief that dressing as the consort of Anakin Skywalker will enrage him or cause him discomfort. Oh Midgardian women, Loki cares not of the romantic history between their chosen characters.

If he had not known Albert for ten years, he would be suspicious of the man's sanity for his choices to dress as villainous characters year after year, but Albert is as transparent as men come.

Albert pulls his Guy Fawkes—a Midgardian Loki can respect—mask from his face and sets a V iced cupcake onto Loki's desk. "Oh, Anakin Skywalker just before he became Vader. Nice as always."

"And V," Loki replies as he takes a bite of the cupcake. "Albert, he is an anti-hero."

"With roots in history!" he says. "Guy Fawkes is an icon, and when I was in my teens, Anonymous used him. Yeah, those guys you like? I'm surprised you haven't been Guy Fawkes yet. Oh, hello, Mr. Barton. Nice costume."

Clint cranes his neck into the box of cupcakes sat upon a desk in, and he looks even more ridiculous with his costume on as he smears icing on his face. "Oh, yummy!"

"Thank you. I'm glad to have my work complimented for once."

Loki rolls his eyes. "Albert, you are aware of your pastry-based talent."

"I know, I know. Just kidding around, dark lord."

"Father!" Loptr storms into his classroom, and Loki barely refrains from cursing the All-Father. "Father!"

"Yes?"

"Oh, cupcake." He picks up a cupcake as if his issue can be switched off and takes a bite before he returns to his infuriation. "Lori—you know what he did? He hit Cooper with his sword. Bam, right in the arm, and Cooper pulled out his wand-"

Loki takes Lori from the classroom, instructing him to guide him to Hloridi's location. Though it is no sibling conflict, Cooper and Hloridi's five year feud is far worse. "Continue."

"Cooper tried to stab him with it, but you know how that worked out. Lori challenged him to 'an old-fashioned pirate's duel' after school, but Cooper declined. Hey, this rhymes."

They stop their travel of the hallway at the sight of Thor kneeled in front of a crossed armed Hloridi. Hloridi nods as Thor speaks to him in his warrior's voice, one Thor employs before marching into battle, and by the changing of Hloridi's expression to something sinister, it is having the original effect.

"That's sweet!" Hloridi shouts, and Thor stands.

"Lori, I did not mean-"

"No, Thor, it's fine. You're right. I should just march up to that Midgardian fool and tell him—oh, hello, Father." He grins at Loki, but Loki is not smiling. "Lop, I hate you."

"The feeling is more than mutual, brother."

Thor scratches the back of his neck as Loki stares at him. "I diffused the situation."

"But you were about to ignite it again, were you not? Hloridi, give me your machete."

"But, Father, please!"

"Hloridi."

He sets the machete in Loki's hands with a huff. "What was I going to do with it anyway? It's not even real."

"Um, do you not remember my tomato turning into a freaking tarantula-saurus rex?"

"You're such a baby."

"Loptr is right, Hloridi," Thor says, going to put a hand on his shoulder but having it shrugged off. "Hloridi."

"Thor!" he says, sneering. "I'm out of here. You're all messing with my style."

"You have none!"

"Grey elf!"

"You're just shouting facts!"

Thor gives him an apologetic look, and Loki sighs. "You do make a far better Anakin Skywalker than the original in both presence and appearance."

"That does not take much, Thor," he replies.

"The man who played him was exceptionally handsome, Loki," he says with a grin, and Loki rolls his eyes, feeling heat rush to his face as if he is one of his students getting waxed romantic by their crush.

"Get a room, jeez. The light elves are too pure to witness this." Loptr opens the cafeteria door. "Legolas out."

Loki leaves the scene before Thor can elaborate on the "get a room" part of Loptr's words. He could have corrected him and said that there was no use for rooms. They got around the lack of rooms in the past many times before.

And he means many, many times.

**Thor**

Midgardian costuming is an underappreciated facet of their culture, a part Thor takes great joy in participating in. The upcoming holiday of O Hollow's Eve, or "Halloween" as the Midgardians of this country often call it, is by far Thor's favorite. Behind Thanksgiving of course. There is also Christmas which he counts on the same tier as Thanksgiving.

So perhaps it is not his favorite, but Thor quite looks forward to the day, and with the current situation of his life, there is much to anticipate.

The two days elapsed of "Spirit Week" have proven to be a great preliminary to the date, and an air of anticipation surrounds the school for the culmination at the end of the week: Homecoming. No such event occurs in Asgard, but he has been told the celebrations compare though Thor will not believe so until he sees with his own eyes, and he will. He is chaperoning.

"I'm coming then too," Tony says as Headmaster Gron walks away from them. "I didn't go to homecoming. Didn't even get a chance to spike the punch."

Steven sends Tony a sharp look before volunteering to accompany Thor as well, and he spurs the volunteering of their remaining friends though Bruce does not seem too keen on coming. "We need everyone there," is what Steven says when Bruce starts to formulate an excuse, and Thor grits his teeth and exits the room before he says thing he will quickly regret.

Their distrust for his brother is founded, but that does not make it any less aggravating. Loki has not displayed any of his old negative behaviors, so can they not give him the benefit of the doubt?

In the morning, Natasha and Clint greet him from their seats at the table. Their faces are masqueraded, a blonde wig and sunglasses covering much of Natasha's face and paint masking Clint's. His dyed red hair and pink facial paint make him look like the jester he truly is.

"Oh, look at that guitar of yours," Clint says in a strange accent. "So rock-y."

Thor cocks a brow and slings said guitar over his shoulder. "Thank you, Clint. You do look… positively strange yourself. Lady Natasha, you look 'modish.'"

"Lady Gaga," she says. "I'm Lady Gaga."

"And that's actually a compliment, my dear fellow. David Bowie was wonderfully strange."

Steven and Tony enter as counterparts, Steven dressed of a more traditional sort and Tony wearing a silver helmet. Their relationship of opposites is one that Thor himself is personally familiar with.

Bruce enters the room in his gold helmet, an aura of discontent coming from him.

"Another strange head," Clint says, making a motion with his fingers. "Such weird musicians of today."

Upon arrival to Midgard for the first time in centuries, he agreed with the notion that the sounds of modern Midgardian music were the oddest he had heard in his years of existence. Perhaps his attraction to the unknown is what facilitated his like for the artificially created noises that modern musicians use in their creations. And that attraction to the unknown can be attributed to one of the most open-minded beings in the realms, his brother.

The sounds of an electric guitar do beat the sounds of Asgardian lutes by far, and he would be glad to tell that to the finest lutest in Asgard if he were not sure the man would never pick up the instrument again. He will not be blamed for the second quitting of another specialist in five centuries.

Their completed assembly of musicians travels to the school to a transformed student body of various hairstyles and wardrobe choices. Thor does not hesitate to compliment his favorites, and they attempt to do the same though they are too tongue-tied to form words.

"Holy sh—wow, dude, that's awesome!" Joel, a twelfth grade boy in his sixth period class, shouts. "The god of rock! And oh fucking—Daft Punk! Shit, this is my dream! Wait, sorry for my language, Cap. Nice Sinatra jib you got going on."

"I told you that the youth of today was not lost," Steven says, and words flash across Tony's helmet in response.

Thor bows his head to the gathering crowd of students and maneuvers through them before continuing into the school.

With Spirit Week and the resulting distraction of dressing up, classroom objectives have temporarily been alleviated, and for that Thor is thankful. He wishes not to talk of assigned literature when a boy is carrying drum and sporting hair twice as big as his head. Even if he were to continue class as usual, he thinks nothing would be accomplished with Tony's breakdancing to the music coming from Bruce's helmet. Now that is quite a sight.

Fifth period, he and his friends watch the door with anticipation for what Hloridi has chosen today. His previous choices have never failed to elicit a smile from Thor.

Thor and Tony both bellow at the sight of Hloridi and his usual three companions dressed flamboyantly in leather clothes, their faces covered in black and white paint and hair fluffed high above their heads.

Hloridi approaches Tony with crossed arms as Thor leans against his desk and chuckles. He is taller than Tony with his platform footwear, and oh is it hilarious. "You mad?"

The words 'Not at all' scroll across Tony's helmet.

"Hloridi, your chosen fashion is more than entertaining."

He sneers. "Ha ha, so entertaining, right? You with your bandana and your guitar! Come on guys. Let's sit down and away from these freaks. Except you, Natasha. Nice Gaga."

"I didn't even do anything." Steve says.

"You're an accessory, Captain!" he shouts as he falls into his seat. "You're supposed to keep your band in line. You're the singer!"

Theirs an undertone of something in his voice that Thor cannot place though he will identify it in time.

Cooper's imitation mustache somehow causes conflict throughout class, and only Clint's breaking out into song gets the children's attention and moves it elsewhere.

Bruce puts a hand on Hloridi's shoulder, preventing him and his friends from following after Cooper and continuing their scolding of the boy. Even with his helmet on, he proves to be intimidating to those who are aware of the creature he is capable of transforming into. Then again, Hloridi and Loptr proved unafraid of Bruce at their outing. Maybe it is Bruce's natural calm.

For a man who claims perpetual anger, he is very serene.

Clint shoves the cafeteria doors open as if he is the man he is dressed as. "Bowie has entered the cafeteria!"

Thor casts a glance around for the familiar grin of his nephew, but when his eyes reach Loptr's usual table, he finds his face absent from it.

"Thor!" a mouse-headed boy stands from Loptr's table, and instantly, Thor grins because Loptr is in fact present just not visibly. He runs to Thor and tilts his purple head upward. "Don't I look awesome! You look awesome too!"

He chuckles. "You do in fact look awesome, and thank you."

With the day of the week in mind, Thor invites him to sit at the vacant table near the staff seating and makes the voyage to the always boisterous table Hloridi and his comrades occupy. He is to make the most of the opportunities he has to speak with his brother, his two sons included.

"Thor," Hloridi says, giving him a cool look. A boy of his age should not be capable of such coldness, but he is his father in more than one way.

"I have come to..." Inviting Hloridi will prove futile. He is clever enough to simply say no. "I have come to retrieve you to sit with us."

"What?" Cooper exclaims, Dana slapping him in the shoulder. "Why him?"

"Yeah, why me?" he says as he stands. "Peace my band members. Don't do anything without me. I'm the lead singer." He sighs. "I thought you hated me."

Thor cocks a brow at him. "I do not feel any such way," he replies. "I quite find you to be… entertaining however rude you are."

"LOL, I'm not rude." He sighs loudly at the sight of Loptr. "Tony, move down one, please!"

"I hate you!"

"Duh, I feel the same way!" He sits down in the vacated sit between Clint and Tony, and Thor goes to take his own seat next to the two remaining ones. "Gosh, why does the All-Father hate me?"

"He feels no such way," Thor says.

Natasha snorts. "Thor, it's an expression, but people—Midgardians usually say God. He's being a smart-ass."

"Black widow, I'm so happy you think I'm smart," he says with a grin.

"Oh, please, you're the idiot to end all idiots," Loptr says, and as he begins to go into an analysis of why, the two people Thor has been looking for enter the cafeteria. "Father, Albert! Hey, come here!"

In something as antiquated when compared to the wardrobe choices around him, Loki is yet a god among the throngs of Midgardians as he rightfully should be. His chosen costume looks not like a costume as Loki's elegance melds with the sharp lines of his coat and ruffles of his blouse as though he is a contemporary of the man he is modeled after.

"Thor, pst, you're staring," Bruce whispers, talking for the first time today.

He automatically stands as Loki goes to sit beside him. "Lok—Professor Laufeyson, you look quite refined."

Loki gives him a knowing look. "Thank you. I cannot help but notice a theme of electronic dance music here."

"Yeah, so cool and such a coincidence," Hloridi says. "Whatever."

Envy is what that is. Thor has heard it many times before, but it startles him how similar it is to the words he heard 12 years ago on the edge of the then-ruined Bifrost.

"Beethoven suits you well."

He stares at Thor for a few moments though their tablemates seem not to notice. "You are perhaps the third person today to notice." The "I am impressed" is left unsaid. "Captain, your chosen influence is executed well though I had no idea that you listen to music that are not battle hymns calling for the slaughter of opposing forces."

Steven is not amused at all by Loki's words. "No." His eyes flicker to Professor Lavert. "Professor, I listen to a variety of music, classical included."

"Classical music sucks," Hloridi and Loptr say.

"Can you not be annoying?"

Loptr holds up his hand. "The mouse doesn't have time for your shenanigans, weird hair, stupid paint face."

"Oh, please! Look at you! You're wearing a freaking mouse head for some guy who just presses buttons! Real talent is Beethoven even though his music sucked major eggs. Sorry, Father, but it's the truth."

Loki smiles. "According to you, my son. Musical taste is subjective though it is obvious that some is superior to others."

"Buddy Holly," Professor Lavert says, gesturing to the glasses on his face. Thor knows not who Buddy Holly is though he does resemble what Tony often calls a "geek." "He had real talent, Lori."

"Sure did. Way, way, way more than Deadmau5 or freaking Daft Punk. I'm ashamed to be seen with you all. Such terrible music taste Now, Steve, Hawkeye, and Natasha are cool. Hawkeye's the coolest, but that's just because he's cool. . Thor, you do that weird metal thing you're doing alone. Catch you all later!"

Loptr scoffs. "Whatever! I'm out of here!" He stands as well. "Peace, Professor Odinson, Tony, Lavert, and everyone else. Bye, Father."

"Looks like we just lost the losers," Tony says as he takes his helmet off. "Phew, man do I deserve an award. You know how much it sucks having to talk and have it all filtered out into words? Well, JARV and I do! Sci-bro, you can take the helmet off. We deserve a break. Oh wait, Professor… Lavert, right? Oh yeah, thanks for not making up for that failed lunch plan. Looking good. Buddy Holly could be your brother."

"Or you could be his son," Bruce says as he removes his own. "Lately, I've been studying-"

A rhythmic pounding drifts from the direction of Hloridi's table, and a glance over reveals that the children seated there are hitting the table and clapping as Cooper and Hloridi stand on seats shouting what sounds like lyrics at each other.

"Is this really happening?" Clint asks, and Natasha nods. "I'm in!"

Loki is not "in," having slipped away from the table without Thor noticing. He makes a sharp gesture at Cooper and Hloridi, and there is a collective groan of disappointment as the ruckus stops.

"I wonder if he said 'finale' in a fake German accent," Professor Lavert says. "He's wonderfully strange like that."

There's a shared look around the table.

"Well, he seems pretty normal to me," Steven says, and Thor smiles.

He is not the only one making progress.

* * *

**A/N**: Stop being so oblivious, Thor, Jesus Christos!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**Hloridi, you darn liar!Sorry for the long delay. IRL stuff has been bogging me down.

* * *

**Chapter 5: God of Everything Awesome** **Thor**

Ignorance is in fact bliss.

When the words of another being their father come from Hloridi's mouth, Thor is unsure of how he will continue to function with the knowledge that a mere man was able to accomplish what he was not: commitment. Though the… man, a wielder of magic like Loki, is seemingly gone, having stupidly forfeited his right to know the young men he dared to sire with one far greater than him, Thor cannot bare think of the mark of permanence he has left.

Hloridi and Loptr are tangible proof that Thor never truly held Loki's heart though Thor willingly handed his to his brother various times after painful rejections at the same hands. They are the embodiment of the love Loki shared with that man.

"Whoa, who told you Lassie died at the end?" Tony asks, but he and Clint and brushed off as Thor journeys from the school. Another second of him in that building will not end well for its occupants.

Mjolnir is pulled from his bag, and Thor conjures the power of the winds to carry him above the Earth, the forms of the gathering students becoming mere dots along the landscape as he ascends toward the graying skies. Clouds accumulate around him and lightning comes on its own though Thor finds it easy to navigate through the tumultuous atmosphere. He and Midgard are one, and she feels the pain inside of him, engulfing him in her electric gray embrace.

**Loki**

Loki senses something awry the moment he takes a step under the now darkening sky. The blue he saw from his classroom moments ago is now a sheet of dark gray, and gusts of winds form cyclones of leaves around the campus, unlucky students caught in them. As he stands in wait for his sons, he cannot properly enjoy the sight of young Midgardians shrieking in fear because of the knowledge that something yet unknown has happened.

His first thought is that his sons have informed their father of his status, and as Hloridi pulls an abnormally sullen Loptr down the front stairs by the hand, he sighs because he expected something more climactic to happen after Thor learned.

A bolt of lightning hits the tree line, and a group of students shouts before going to seek shelter.

Perhaps it was too optimistic to expect him to accept his sons with open arms, but whatever went on was not the scenario Loki had in mind. It's storming.

Hloridi shoves his brother into the car though the action does not hold the usual malice, and he is far too preoccupied with messing with his wilting Mohawk spikes to snap at him as he typically does. His friends' own Mohawks were losing their definition throughout the day though Loki had no part in their construction. Hloridi's Mohawk's state is due to his fidgeting hands.

Fidgeting, something that Hloridi only does when something is amiss. He did not inherit Loki's tact.

His brother, on the other hand, can have emotional tact when needed, but today is not one of those days. Loptr stares out of the window as he frowns, his cheer from earlier entirely absent. He was utterly ecstatic to have his offer of being Thor's twin for the day accepted, but whatever happened extinguished any trace of that.

These moods of his, the ones that Loki can relate to more than any of their other ones, are few and far between, but when they do come, he's best left to his own thoughts as Loki desires when in his place.

"I'm going to my room," Loptr says, and Loki finds out just what is plaguing the two after he disappears up the stairs.

"Thor asked." Hloridi lets out a frustrated sound before sitting down on the stairs. "I didn't want him to know! Our lives are fine the way they are and… he's probably not even here for what he says he's here for, Father!"

Loki touches Hloridi's shoulder and exhales. "Hloridi, exactly what happened?"

"Okay, okay, Father, I can explain. I mean, it was bound to happen with Loptr's stupid, stupid decision to dress as the twin to our father who doesn't know he's our father who he already looks like! It was like he wanted Thor to know, but—I, Hloridi Laufeyson, godling of everything awesome, saved the day as usual. Loptr was standing there like an idiot while Thor gave him one of his hopeful looks, which means you've got to give me even more credit for this. I felt like I was telling him that puppies turned into dogs! But, Father, I did it. I explained... in a not-so-truthful way." He grins. "I lied."

Loki's morally questionable way of teaching his sons the differences between right and wrong has contributed to lots of unnecessary trouble in the twin's social lives, but he would rather them lie their faces off and learn on their own than try to instill a false sense of justice in them as his—Thor's father did. From the perspective of many, Odin failed badly.

"So... I kind of fabricated something on the spot, you know? I had to think fast, or Thor would take another look at Lop and just know. I told him that our father was a Midgardian warlock which would explain why we're so powerful and awesome, and it would save him the trouble of thinking that some Asgardian knocked you up. We all know what would have happened there.

"I didn't exactly tell him that he wasn't our dad because I didn't want to be an idiot like Lop and assume that's what he was thinking even though it clearly was. I told him that our dad was like on his own because you got tired of his Midgardian as—self, and you were totally cool with being a single father. I then told him that our dad was super tall, blond, really muscular, and had blue eyes like mine. I even added, 'yeah, he kinda looked like you, but that's because Father definitely has a type.' That took care of any questions he might have about us looking like him."

He shakes his head and chuckles at the proud look on his son's face. His tactic of keeping Thor unaware was far cleverer than what most would come up with after prior planning. To think that Hloridi came up with such a thing on his feet is a tribute to his own skills of scheming. Oh how does it please him to see that his calculating ways have been heeded by his own blood.

"But then Lop was just sitting there with this sad look, and Thor excused himself ASAP. I should warn you Lop's pretty peeved, but… I did it! And-"

"'Peeved?'" Yes, Loptr's own attachment to Thor. "Hloridi, how does your brother exactly feel about this… embellishment?"

He sucks air through his teeth. "Well…"

Loki snaps his fingers, and Hloridi's hair returns to its normal state. "I am going to talk to your brother." He pauses atop the stairs. "The sentiment is appreciated though you have created a fairly complicated situation."

With another sigh, he opens the door to Loptr's room to see his son lying on his side, knees pulled up to his chest. Such a sight compels Loki to pull him into an embrace and banish the thoughts weighing on Loptr's mind, but Loptr is much like him in his dislike of physical contact during his periods of moping.

Loptr continues facing away from Loki when Loki sits down beside him, but Loki has his full attention.

"Your brother has well intentions."

"No, he doesn't. He's just thinking about himself as always. He didn't even ask me if I wanted him to know or anything because Lop's opinion doesn't matter ever."

"Hloridi has a habit of assuming, and you and I have had almost eleven years to adjust to this. It has unfortunately increased with age, but with time, he will mellow out."

"What about now?" He turns his head, and Loki is looking into his own eyes. "Why do I have to wait for him to stop being so stupid? Why do I have to give up things I want because he's such a big idiot who needs to be the center of attention all of the time? I was going to answer, Father, and I was going to tell Thor that he wasn't our father, but Lori didn't even trust me to do that! Do you know why?

"He's just jealous!" Loptr buries his face in his pillow. "He's mad that Thor likes me better. Lori's always acting like he's so cool, but it's only because he doesn't want Thor to like him and reject him. He did the same with-"

Loki places a hand on Loptr's head. He has not felt like this in quite a while, unsure of how he is supposed to handle a situation such as this. Thor was always the one attempting comfort and reassurance, and he was terrible at it for the most part. It only worked because of the fact that he was trying unlike everyone else.

"Father, may I please be alone?"

Loptr's request is granted because Loki understands the need for solitude more than anyone.

He retreats to the library and stands at the window, simply staring up at the gray skies until he hears the sounds of footsteps outside of the door.

"Mrs. Watson is here!" Hloridi shouts, peering inside the door. "Dana and I are going to play laser tag with the bros, Father. You remember me telling you yesterday, right?"

He nods. He does remember, and as much as he desires to forbid him from going elsewhere until he and Loptr sort out their issues, he knows that he will only create more conflict and resentment in the future. "Do be sensible."

"When am I not?" he asks, and he attempts a smile that Loki sees straight through. "I will be back at nine, so you two have fun at dinner. _Elsker dig_!"

Hloridi runs down the front driveway below, Dana standing outside of his mother's car with a grin. He needs time to revel in the admiration of one of his friends/sycophants. Their praise fuels him much like it does for his parents, both of them.

Rain begins to flow over the glass, and dark clouds roll above. At the first bolt of lightning above, Loki closes the blinds and goes to read an old favorite of his: _Þrymskviða_. He is in need of dramatized comedy about his adventures with one god of thunder.

**Thor**

He lands in New Mexico, leaving gray clouds across the skies in his wake.

Finding Jane's abode is as easy as he usually finds it though he is sad to admit his most recent visit was a month ago. With the impending delivery of her firstborn, there is no excuse for Thor to dash his duties aside or to ignore the oaths he has pledged to the woman of science and her child because of his own personal desires.

Jane is positively glowing, and Thor finds the image strangely familiar. In Asgard, he often encountered the pregnant maidens of court, but his attentions were never large enough to pay them and their unborn much thought. Perhaps it is the sight of Jane happy that is familiar. On her day of matrimony, she was as golden as an Aesir.

"So," she says, moving his hands over her rounded stomach, "just why are you here, Thor? I'm happy to see you and all, but there's something wrong. And why is there a sudden surge in thunderstorms from the East coast and ending here?"

Thor scratches the back of his neck. In retrospect, the trail of storms was rather unnecessary. He explains that he is going through a personal dilemma, attempting to only mention Loki in passing, but Jane hears the mention of his brother's name and makes a gesture for him to cease talking.

"You found him then. How is he?" Thor often forgets of Jane's extravagant talent of forgiveness, but he is all too glad that she holds no ill will for his brother. Loki's own apologies from his short tour of reparation to the wronged denizens of Midgard included a rather unsavory encounter with Jane though she took it in stride.

"Fine," he replies. "He is very, very good."

"What's he doing?"

"He is a teacher at a very successful school."

Jane sits back in her chair. "What is he doing that for? What's made him decide to give us Midgardians a chance?"

Thor smiles and gestures to her stomach. "Children." He pats himself until he finds his StarkPhone, a device that has proven itself quite useful as of recent. Loptr's insisted that they take a picture together. "They are twins though I only have a picture of one of them."

She gasps as she takes the phone into her hands. "Wow, Thor, he's-" She looks up at him. "He's _you_."

"I am afraid not, Lady Jane, though you can see that today Loptr and I are dressed as doppelgangers of each other."

"It doesn't seem like that took a lot. He does have his eyes. Thor, why didn't you tell me sooner? This is like huge! You have kids!"

Thor's grins falls, and he stands to go to the window. "I… do not have children," he replies. "Another Midgardian man does in fact have children with my brother."

"Oh, Thor, that's… Are you sure? Loki's a liar, and I mean a really big liar."

"Loki was not the one who informed me." Thor places a stabling hand on her arm as she moves next to him. "Hloridi, Loptr's twin brother, took the liberty in doing that for him. It was my fault for asking. I should have respected Loki's decision to keep the information from me."

Jane leans her head upon his shoulder. "It's not your fault, Thor. Whatever you're thinking, it's not your fault. You didn't even know. This is his fault and his fault only." She grins. "You have now, Thor. That's what matters, right?"

Thor nods in agreement. "Your words of wisdom rival those of the All-Father."

"Thor, you know I am so much wiser than a millennia old space god," she replies, and the two share a laugh before Thor bids her farewell, laying a kiss upon her hand and promising to be present for the nearing birth of her child. "We both believe you, Thor."

He nods a greeting to the approaching form of Keith and begins to swing Mjolnir. "I will be there for this child, Lady Jane," he says, and he's carried back into the sky from whence he came.

**Loki**

Albert offers to relieve him of his duties at tonight's football game as they walk the halls at the end of the day, but Loki knows the man's need to appease everyone, and though Albert is capable, Loki is unwilling to have this event suffer any decline in quality because of personal problems. Loki has a precedent he will meet, and not for the Midgardians' pleasure. He does this for himself.

He gives a sigh when Loki declines, and they go their separate ways with the knowledge that they will in fact see each other later.

Hloridi stands talking to a girl as Loptr sits playing his game, casting dark glances up at the two of them every few moments. Hloridi dismisses the girl and greets Loki with more enthusiasm than necessary which cements Loki's observation that he is as emotionally affected as Loptr pretends to not be.

"Loptr, come," Loki says, putting a hand on his shoulder and guiding him down the stairs as he continues to stare at the device. "If you trip, do know that I will not catch you."

He slams the door open. "I never trip, Father."

Here, Hloridi is supposed to say something contrarian, but Hloridi simply slides in after his brother.

Any attempt on Loki's part to make conversation fails due to Loptr's focus on the game and Hloridi's headphones playing loud music in his ears as he plays a game himself. Ah, yes, the All-Father is truly out for revenge, is he not?

The two of them go off to their chosen places of refuge, Hloridi in a tree in the backyard and Loptr on the front stairs.

Loki can almost laugh at what an emotional battleground his household has become in the course of a month, but he can almost break into hysterics at that fact as well. The near-perfection he spent ten revolutions of Midgard around the sun crafting has begun to crumble, and only now does Loki realize what it truly means.

Hloridi's façade of everything being fine and Loptr's unusual impassiveness are merely parts of the cracking structure, but if there is a place to begin it is there.

It is most unfortunate that Loki is no more an emotional architect than he is a philanthropist for the struggles of unlucky Midgardians.

On the other hand, Loki is a creative genius with enough talent to have done the ceiling of Sistine chapel himself thrice in the time Michelangelo took to complete it. The Midgardian man was revered as a god among his kind, but Loki _is_ a god, and it would be unfortunate to not use his innate talents to support the school he has elevated to its current status of prestige.

His sons' friends and their families arrive an hour before the game as they have since Hloridi—attracted them as his followers—and Loptr became friends with them, and for the first few years, Loki found them to be grating though they have gotten more tolerable with time. Their relationship remains as acquaintances as Loki wishes for it to be, and more than always do Loki's wishes become reality.

"What an idiot!" Hloridi shouts to something Andrew says, and the four of them proceed to laugh loudly.

"Silence," Loki says, and the four of them proceed to shut their mouths. "Thank you. If you four would be so kind as to go change, I would be immensely pleased."

Hloridi gives his friends a look that spurs them into motion, Loki shutting his door and going to the next open one.

Loptr and his companions lie in a pentagram on the ground of his bedroom.

"Loptr, you are to all get ready," he says. "Understood?"

He gets to his feet and helps the closest of his female friends up. "Yes, Father."

With everyone doing as requested, Loki goes to change himself. During these times, he often finds the desire to revert into his true form the strongest, but each and every time, he remembers the boys a few doors down from him and what consequences his actions will have.

As their mascots are a trio of "Big Cats," most settle for being a tiger, and that is fine for them. Loki is no mere tiger. He is a lion, so the green and brown headdress of a Lion's head he wears is more than fitting.

A newly arrived Albert keeps conversation with one of the more annoying mother's, and Loki gives him both a nod of agreement and one of gratitude.

"Wow, you look… spirited," Jackson Michaels, Christian's father, says. By now, after four years of failed propositions, he has gotten the hint that Loki is not interested in any extramarital affair with him, and his wife has stopped asking him "hair care tips."

He hands them tiger head after tiger head, tiger hats in the cases of the more conservative wives and grandparents, and only pauses to help Francisco, Loptr's close friend Miranda's older brother and a past student of Loki's, with his tiger striped cape. When he finishes with the clasp, he takes a step back to look at the sea of green and brown.

It is satisfactory to him, which means that it is magnificent to the average simple-minded Midgardian.

"Come," is the only word he must say for everyone to file into their respective vehicles and begin the journey to the school.

Albert adjusts his tiger hat. "You think we'll win?"

"Yeah!" the boys shout.

Loki rolls the question around a few times before replying, "Of course." The ten years he has been there, they have not lost, and he has no intention of that streak ending tonight.

"King of the jungle!" a group of students shout as Loki travels the halls. They attempt the growl of a lion and fail to Loki's amusement.

He does not encounter any of the Avengers on his round of ensuring everything is in place, and as he takes his takes his place standing on a seat at the head of his group, he feels almost optimistic about the night.

Then of course the Avengers make their appearance all dressed in full body costumes of different big cats to loud shouts and screams of celebration, Hloridi and Loptr's friends shoving their fingers into their ears while the boys themselves remain unaffected. Tony Stark's artificial heart shines green, and the captain's shield is covered in words of praise as he holds it with the hand he is not waving.

Thor is a lion as well, and his usual silver and red is instead bronze and green. He has taken cues of his cape from Loki though, and Loki almost smirks.

He keeps his eyes on the football team warming up on the field, and it is quite easy to pretend he has not noticed them with his elevated position though he does see when the six of them stop in front of him, Steven at the front.

"A cougar, a big cat native to your precious America," Loki says, his eyes still on the field.

Daniel Johnson takes a hard hit, and Loki makes a sound. Surprisingly, he is not hurt.

"Professor Laufeyson, how astute an observation," Tony says, and he hops the fence, grabbing onto the railing before he falls down. "Phew, getting too old for this shit."

"Language, Mr. Stark."

Perhaps sitting in an empty row, which is empty per his request, has come back to his disadvantage him, he realizes as Tony goes to sit down, the rest of his team going to take the stairs like civilized persons. His feelings about him do benefit Loki with the seat he puts between them.

"Sup, kids," Tony says, getting fist pumps from the boys behind them. "Loptr, my number one fan."

Loptr turns pink as his friends giggle. "Er, hi, Tony."

There's a short murmured confrontation before Thor falls into the seat beside Loki.

"Professor Odinson!" Dana shouts, and Loki hears the slap. "Ouch, you, you poop!"

He turns a look on a blank-faced Hloridi. "Keep your hands to yourself."

"Oh, snap!" Loptr shouts, and though Loki is happy he is showing some emotion, this is not the right time. "Bro got told!"

"Loptr, please."

Albert arrives just as the game timer begins and pays the Avengers a greeting.

"Why do you fuck—freaking stand… professor?" Tony asks. "You kinda look like a crazy."

"He's the Big Cat," Albert replies for Loki though Loki could answer, but they are both aware he has better things to speak of. "Since he came, we've been undefeated in every game. Actually, we're number five in the country, which I'm sure you all knew."

"Who doesn't?" Clint asks, and SHIELD's skill of finding those hidden is the worst he's seen.

Steven leans forward on Thor's other side and whispers, his mouth unmoving. "Loki, are you…?"

"Our team is naturally talented, Captain Rogers," he replies.

As Loki said, his wishes often come true, and as halftime comes with the Big Cats at 50 and the rival team Mustangs at 20, this is proven to be one of those times.

He hops down, Albert trailing him, and goes to fulfill his duties as master of ceremonies. He inclines his head when greeted and accepts the green staff from the head of the electronic club Patrick, swinging it in as he walks to the center of the field. He enjoys twirling a nice staff.

At his cue, the lights of the stadium go off as he requested them his second year, a spotlight coming to illuminate only him. One spoken "kneel" and he would have these people at his beck and call, but alas the life of a dictator is no longer for him. The nominees enter the field with their escorts as Loki announces each name. As the twelve separate nominees stand in their own beam of light, Loki allows him to make use of his magic in a mundane way, reaching his hand out of his spotlight to conjure the results.

No one has ever asked how he gets them, and if they were to ask, Loki would tell them, knowing too well they would laugh and praise his skills of trickery.

"Maxwell Geri and Sophia Blau."

Oh what a coincidence that they are dates. Only Loki knows just how much of a coincidence it is.

As Loki goes to stand back on his seat, he catches the beginnings of an argument.

"Who are you to tell Hawkeye to be quiet?" Hloridi asks. "You are a fool!"

"Oh yeah? You are a liar, a big mega gigantic liar!"

"Bazinga!" Tony shouts, and Thor's brow furrows as he turns to look at the two of them.

Loki thinks of turning back around and leaving to find somewhere else to sit, but Thor's gaze turns onto him for the first time since Hloridi's impromptu spin.

Hloridi jumps over the row of seats and goes to exit the stands.

"You are a turd!" Christian shouts at Loptr, and Jackson pats his shoulder.

Loki takes a moment to gather his bearings before he goes to pursue his son. This has taken quite the turn, but tonight will not end in more pointless conflict.

Hloridi is found sitting in the car with his forehead on his knees, eyes filled with unshed tears. "Why does he hate me, Father? What I did wasn't that bad!"

He crosses his arms and nods a greeting to a passing Jennifer. "Perhaps not to you," he replies, "but Loptr's relationship with Thor has suffered because of your intervention. I can only suggest that you attempt to apologize to your brother, and it must be sincere. Lying will not solve your problem."

"But it always solves yours!"

He scoffs. "I am not you, Hloridi." He gestures him out of the car and watches as his son composes himself as Loki taught him to. "I do hope you take this as a lesson to learn from."

"I always do, Father," he replies, and he wraps his arms around Loki's waist. "I love you, Father."

Loki presses a kiss to his forehead. "I return the same feeling," he says. "Come."

Loptr is sitting in Loki's seat, his head on Albert's shoulder as Albert strokes his hair. Thor speaks to him with a small smile.

"Drama queen is back," Tony says, and Hloridi rolls his eyes.

Loptr stands and gives his brother a cool look unlike the one Hloridi is giving him. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"I'm sorry," Hloridi says. "I was kind of stupid, and I realize that now, but I'm really, really sorry. If I knew that you wanted to tell, I would have, okay, but I wanted to protect you, Lop."

"I don't need your protection!"

"Yeah, you do!"

"Only sometimes!"

The corner of Loki's lips quirk up as he takes in the equally warm eyes of his sons.

"I promise to only protect you when it's one of those times, okay?" Hloridi opens his arms. "Can I have a-?"

There's a loud "aw" as they embrace, and Loki silences it with a quick look at those making the noise.

His sons take their seats, Hloridi shoving Christian over so he can sit beside Loptr, and Loki actually sits down.

"You have decided to sit," Thor says, eyes forward.

"I grew bored of standing."

The timer reaches zero, and green confetti falls from the ceiling.

Thor stands, Loki taking the hand he offers him and trying not to revel in the sensation of being lifted with such effortlessness. "They know quite well how to resolve a harsh conflict with ease," he says, nodding toward where Hloridi and Loptr perform one of their many "secret" handshakes.

"They get it from their father," he replies with a smile, and that manages to replace the smile on Thor's face with a steely gaze and a scowl, Thor pulling his hand from Loki's.

He has one conflict solved, but another, much larger one to even attempt to breach.

**Thor**

He should be grateful to the All-Father for not exiling him during the era of hats and these pointless contraptions suspenders. The belt is much easier to wear and less masochistic than elastic snapping against one's shoulders though it is as if he is being tapped by a feather. Alas, this is an event themed in the 30s, and he will not be defeated by accessories.

He accepts his hat from Natasha as he exits the door.

"You look like you'd fit right in," she says.

Thor opens the vehicle door for her. "No, our captain has claimed that right."

Being temporarily immersed into one's old time must be troubling for Steven, but the man remains his usual self: much too serious and overly paranoid. Thor can almost roll his eyes at the memory of Steven insisting that Bruce accompany him to his meeting with Loki and his… nephews. The man can be unreasonable at times.

"Lookin' good," Clint says as he adjusts his comically large hat, and Thor inclines his head as he chuckles.

"When doesn't he?" Bruce replies. "Where are Tony and Pepper?"

Pepper yanks Tony's glowing cane from his hand and takes the seat beside Thor with a huff, sending a look at Tony as he sits down next to Steven. Thor quickly learned exasperation is her default facial expression when she is around Tony. "You are terrible."

"But you love me, right?" There's a minor scuffle as the brims of Tony and Clint's hats overlap, Steven removing Tony's hat solving it. "Why doesn't he have to take his off?"

"'Cause I'm not you."

Thor tries not to mess with the brim of his hat which is fortunately smaller than his two friends', but the headwear is so unlike any others that he has worn. The Midgardians of the 30s were clearly unproductive if this hat was the popular style. How can one focus?

"Could you all stop?" Pepper asks as the exit the car, and a quick glance around reveals that all of them save for Steven are fumbling with their hats. "How do you deal?"

Natasha shrugs. "Lots and lots of time in the gym."

His first action as a chaperone is to remove a male student from his female companion in the halls, and he gives them an amused look as they struggle to right themselves and offer hastily thrown together explanations. "No need to explain your Midgardian needs," he says. "I suggest you satisfy them at another time."

They exchange a glance and hurriedly vacate the corridor.

"Wow, that was cool," Clint says. "Coolest teacher ever."

"Your brother probably gives them detention for the rest of the school year," Pepper says.

"Actually, I give them detention for 10 weeks and make them attend a course on sexual education." Loki saunters up to them, and Thor takes back his previous words of not wanting to be exiled to earth during the era of swing. If Loki were to accompany him, he would willingly go without hesitation. "Miss Potts, I have not made your acquaintance."

"You're right. He's not evil anymore." She takes his hand and shakes it. "Virginia Potts."

"Professor Loki Laufeyson," he replies as he twirls his golden cane. He is hatless, but the addition of a hat would neither add nor detract from his appearance. "I must direct you all to the event room, which Professor Odinson is aware of. I cannot have civilians loitering the hallways."

"'Civilians,'" Steven says, and he sighs. "Come on. Thor, show us the way."

Pepper comes to walk beside Thor as he leads them through the halls. "How does he do that? He's different than the wacko most of us know. It makes sense why no one knows who he is though he still looks… godly."

"Loki is a master of disguise, and acting as though he is orthodox is a part of his expertise," he replies, and he gestures them through the doorway.

Steven stops just short of the threshold, and he casts a glance at the room seemingly brought forth from a distant era.

"Dude, this must be creepy for you," Clint says.

"Yeah, this is one of the most authentically done themes I've ever seen," Bruce says. "I'm not surprised."

Thor shakes the hands of colleagues and greets them as they delve deeper into the construct of the past Loki has created. He takes his hat off as a man of this era would do, and he inclines his bare head for blushing female students.

"This isn't as bad as that swing festival," Tony says. "That was worse, right?"

Steven nods. "Much worse."

Professor Hring comes up to their group as they stand around a table reserved for them with a place card stating 'The Avengers' by an unknown party. The man showily removes his hat before bowing in front of Pepper and Natasha. "Hello, ladies. Hello, fellas."

Thor almost spits his drink into his glass, but Clint does spit his drink out, earning a frown from Steven. "Professor Hring."

"Eric, Professor Odinson."

He smirks. "Then I insist that you call me Thor."

"Okay then, Thor," he says, and a crack appears in Thor's glass mysteriously.

"Thor, calm down," Bruce whispers with a smile, and Thor sets the glass down.

He is completely calm, but this man is nothing more than a nuisance who looks at Loki like he shouldn't.

There is a collective exhale when Eric leaves their table to talk to another poor soul.

"I kind of want to punch that guy in the face," Clint says.

"Then you are not alone." Loki stands in front of them, and in his eyes floats a cloud of something Thor cannot yet put a name to. He has seen it, and the thought brings him a sick feeling to his stomach and a sudden need to mope. "I see that you have all settled in."

"Thanks for the table," Bruce says, and Loki nods.

"You are welcome, Dr. Banner. It is the least I can do, is it not?"

"Psh, 'least.' Nope, I don't think so." Clint crosses his arms. "You're still you, so a freaking table does shit for your record."

"Fair enough, Mr. Barton." What is that in his voice? "I see that Miss Potts has taken a liking to our charming headmaster. Perhaps there is a burgeoning love?"

"Um, no, fuck off. He may be a silverfox, but Pepper is happy with Happy. God, that sounds so stupid, but you get the point. You're smart," Tony says. "Aren't you supposed to be with your kids anyway? I don't see them around."

The all too familiar glint of mischief flashes across Loki's eyes, and Thor ignores every other sound besides the ones inside their semicircle of people, Loki's voice the main focus.

"My children are being sufficiently cared for," he replies, and Thor cocks an eyebrow. He knows that there is something he is missing, something he will realize was quite obvious after it comes to his attention. "There is no need to fret, Mr. Stark."

"Mhm, 'no need to fret.'" Tony gives Loki a suspicious look. "Pep, come here!"

Pepper excuses herself from conversation with Headmaster Gron and walks to them, giving Tony one of her exasperated looks. "Yes, Tony, what do you want?"

He points to her ear. "Happy still on the line?"

"Yes, he is," she says. "Happy, Tony wants something."

"I don't want something. I just want to know something. Big difference." From Thor's perspective, there is not. "He at the source of evil yet?"

"He just pulled up. Tony, what do you want to know?"

"Who is with his gremlins if he's here. He says they're not home alone, and who does he trust enough with his spawn?"

"They are children, Tony Stark," Loki says. "You act as if my sons are not made of flesh and blood as you are."

"Flesh and blood and evil," Clint says.

"One man's 'evil' is another man's 'good.'"

"Says you."

Pepper frowns. "Wait, Happy, how is that possible?"

"Pep, tell me what's up."

She glances at the five of them. "Loki is there," she says, and Thor recognizes the tone of Loki's voice and the look in his eye. Loki is not "whole."

"What? Mischief is still—wait, where did he go?"

Loki's spot is now vacant. Five thousand years and Thor cannot yet keep track of his brother.

"His clone thingies!" Clint shouts. "He's got clones. Duh!"

Thor slips away from them and goes into the crowd of dancing students, making use of his position to pull apart those who are much too close for the standards of Midgardian public decency. He only stops in an empty space in the center of the students and casts a glance around for the raven head of his brother.

"Looking for someone, Professor?"

He spins around to face a smirking Loki. In his partial form, his natural slyness is amplified, and the dangerous look in his eyes is obvious even behind his eyewear. Perhaps one wrong word and Thor could bring forth the true Loki that he has kept hidden from his colleagues and pupils. "You are- "

"Here?" He yanks apart a too close girl and boy. "And there of course. Professor, let us not discuss obvious things. It is a waste of time, and even in your old age, you have no time to waste."

"I am not old."

Thor and Loki are illuminated in fluorescent light, and the "swing step" music that today's Midgardians love to dance to begins to play.

"According to whom?" Loki pulls his jacket off and thrusts it into the hands of a student.

Loki dances though his motions are not fit for this environment, for this realm. Thousands of years of enchanting movements have led Thor to believe that his brother is the embodiment of pure grace, and his lack of brute strength has been compensated with his moves that create an effect so like the spells he weaves with his words and fingers.

"Time for a dance battle!" Max the Giraffe shouts, and his peers yell in agreement.

The prospect of a dance battle against Loki does not thrill Thor. Years of learning how to move his feet in pointless shapes and earning yells of exasperation from the greatest instructors in Asgard has not left him with a love for the "art" if one would call it that when Loki is not involved.

"I am not old," he replies because Thor is not "old."

"Who are you attempting to convince, Professor? I know that I am not old, but it sounds as if you are slightly… unsure."

"Oh, burn!" a student shouts, and Thor sends him a glare.

"Move, you oaf," was Loki's choice phrase when Thor missed a step during Loki's attempts to teach him how to move as effortlessly as he did. In this crowded hall of Midgardian students, Thor is unsure if he is so eager to have Loki say that in front of them all. He does have to face them afterward.

"Watch out," Clint says and he moves in front of Thor. "Come on, professor pretty. Ready to get danced down?"

Thor nods a greeting to Pepper and Steven as they join him in their viewing of this spectacle. Clint has little idea of what he has gotten himself into by challenging Loki.

Clint begins the battle with a spin and a tilt of his hat, and from there, it is clear that he is outmatched.

Loki spins and shuffles, and it is both wonderfully familiar and foreign at the same time. It is different than the tense steps of the dances they were taught as such dance styles do not exist in their home realm, but Thor is immensely pleased with this new addition into Loki's repertoire.

He is ready to give Loki his congratulations when Loki's eyes meet his for a brief second before his motions lose their characteristic charm, and Loki himself begins to slow as Clint continues at his eager pace.

Loki completely stops, and something comes across his face as he watches Clint.

"You giving up, prof?"

Thor's jaw drops when Loki replies, "Yes, I am," and bows to Clint before disappearing through the crowd of students.

"What in the two fucks?" Tony asks. "He just fucking quit? Lame!"

He is gone, but Thor can still feel the vibration of his energy over his skin.

The students part for him as if sensing his urgency, and he is not approached by any colleagues as he follows the trail to the front entrance.

Loki stands sans eyewear with his eyes cast up, the incompleteness quite visible. "I came here for a reason," he says. "This life of mine was not a random choice from my bag of tricks. You must understand that other factors dictated my decision to leave."

"I must not understand anything. You are owed nothing."

"Neither are you." He finally turns his gaze upon Thor. "I do still feel compelled to give you the explanation you have continuously asked for, but as I said, I came here for a reason beyond my own personal desires. My wants are no longer primary, Thor."

Thor clenches his fists. "You have children."

"I do."

"With a Midgardian man of magic nonetheless." He glances up at the sound of thunder. "What is it that this man had other than talents for sorcery? A mere human received the gift of siring your children, and it is as if you think nothing of him! Were the countless affairs you engaged in with our fellow Aesir not enough to sate your need, so you were willing to adjust your standards to accommodate a mortal? Do you think so lowly of yourself to perceive such a thing as a trifle?"

Loki chuckles, and Thor takes a step toward him, Loki remaining in his place. Even if it is an atom's length, _Loki_ moves when Thor steps to him.

"Are you even him?"

"Thor, you-"

"Are you truly Loki?"

He cocks his head to the side. "Am I?" Loki begins to walk backward. "This 'Midgardian man of magic' you so direly envy would know since we have such a strong connection. I must be off, Thor, but do give your team members my greetings especially Clint for that great duel of dance. I have to care for my 'trifles.' I will see you bright and early Monday morning!"

_His hand slips inside of the top of his chosen skirts. Such things are for the maids of court, but here, Thor does not mind that his brother is wearing them. The room allots more hand movement for which Thor is thankful._

_"Thor—please!"_

_He gives a chuckle as Loki's eyes shut and rests his forehead upon his shoulder as his hand is joined in its sacred location by his other hand. "Loki, do you recall when I asked if you were a maiden?"_

_He peeks open an eye. "Yes, Thor, I do very well!" he shouts. "'Are you a girl, Loki, because girls can have children, and they have an extra ho-'"_

_"Sh." He finds his goal and stills his fingers. "Continue."_

_"When I said no, you made me—you wanted proof! I was not going to give that to you without a fight, so you took it upon yourself to put your fin-"_

_"Do this?" He presses a finger inside, and is yet again mystified with how warm it is in contrast to the cool surface of Loki's skin. A cold being should not harvest this heat inside of them and away from the eyes of most. Thor is no longer among the "most."_

_"Yes, that! Thor, I-" His inhale is sharp. _

_Thor bites the inside of his lip. "You proved to me that you were not a girl, but you also proved to me that you were more than a man. You are special, Loki, in many, many regards." One hand slips from Loki's skirts to the fastenings of Thor's pants. "I am the only one who knows this." He pauses as he remembers identical eyes to his brother though they are not Loki's eyes. "That copy of yours does, does he not? Do you allow him to touch you in such a way—in this way?"_

_Loki's knuckles whiten on the edge of the table._

_"Has he-?"_

_"No, Thor, you are the only one," he replies with a whimper. _

_Thor pulls Loki onto his feet, smirking. "Then come."_

_His brother makes them invisible to those they encounter in the halls which makes Thor's exploration of his body so much more thrilling. However, in the confines of Thor's chambers, the thrill is amplified with the knowledge that he is going to do what no other being will have the privilege to do._

_He hovers over Loki's supine form and takes in the sight of his brother so undone unlike his usual icy composure. Thor has undone Loki as so many have tried and failed to do. _

_"Are you going to stare for the duration of the millennium?"_

_"Never would I dream of that." He tears Loki's skirts off by the waist before shoving his own garments out of the way. His eyes trail down his nude form, but his view of what lies below is obstructed by his blanket being pulled over their heads and blocking out the light. _

_"I can... help you if you need."_

_Thor swallows down burgeoning nerves. "No, I can do this," he says, and he does though he has to pause to calm the tremble of his limbs. _

_When he hears nothing from his brother, he takes his hands and whispers the charm before a sphere of lavender light appears above Loki. He thinks he sees pride in Loki's eyes. He was able to teach Thor the most "unmagical being in the nine realms" magic, however small._

_"Are you alright?" he asks._

_Loki nods and smiles, so Thor cannot be blamed for the kiss he presses to those smiling lips. He looks startled, and Thor takes that as an opening to begin. _

_Fandral often brags of his activities between the thighs of women at court, and Thor listens to his descriptions of what they feel like, but he discovers that none of them are remotely valid for the feeling of Loki._

_He can feel his magic in rivulets over Thor's skin, the only energy of another that Thor welcomes, and Thor's own mystic energies are drained and refilled with each movement of their bodies. _

_His eyes widen when he feels something inside of him give. He knows what is to happen, and this feeling is quite different than the one has have achieved on his own._

_Loki's nails dig into his skin and it actually hurts. "Thor, please, take it out!"_

_With confusion, he does as his brother says though it is far too late to stop the natural end in their activity. He hears Loki follow him down the path and give one of his wails as he reaches the end with Thor._

_Panting and tired in a way he has never been, Thor falls onto the bed beside Loki, and he props himself on his elbow to take in the sight of his brother glowing as if he is made of light._

_He touches Loki's hip, and he flinches. Thor's eyes widen with realization. "Did I... hurt you?"_

_Loki does not immediately reply, and when he does, it is barely audible. "Yes, but... No. It was going to hurt whether you were as gentle as a woman or if you were uncaring and rough. You were neither, Thor."_

_The prospect of having hurt his brother in such a way replaces his newfound sense of completion with a heaviness. To think he was acting so selfishly that he did not consider just what Loki may have required angers him. For Loki, he is not selfish. _

_"Loki, I apologize. If my conduct was the cause for you ending our-"_

_"I did not end it," he says. "It was far too late to end it. I am unsure of how to... prevent any... causes to what we have done. I am far too young and unprepared to allow that to happen."_

_He smiles, and the hand he places on Loki's shoulder is not pushed off. "I would help you, Loki. Our age is not an unreasonable time to create new life."_

_"But, Thor, I do not want to! Not yet!" _

_Thor allows the silence to continue until Loki's breaths have slowed down again. "Perhaps you could learn to control it, so we may do this again."_

_Loki gives a small nod, and Thor beams, pulling his brother to lay his head on his chest._

_He takes his brother's maidenhead?—Loki is not a maiden, so is that the proper term?—when he has been alive for 560 revolutions of Midgard around Sol, Loki newly 520 Midgardian years old, and he sees no error in that._

**Loki** **True Loki**

"They are asleep." His doppelganger enters as Loki towels himself off. His sons have always managed to push away the nostalgic thoughts, but even if they were awake, Loki knows he would be poor company.

Loki pulls his hair back into a satin ribbon before glancing up at his doppelganger. A shower managed to relieve his body of the tension leftover from his encounter with Thor, but mentally he is no different. Thor's betrayal filled words stick with him, and he is thankful for the full week ahead of him.

"Thor does not understand," His doppelganger says, rubbing his finger along the previously disguised Gugnir.

He snaps his fingers, silk sleepwear appearing on his body. "He does not."

His doppelganger sits down on the bed, smoothing out the hem of his tunic. "He is hurt, and he is lashing out in what way he knows."

"Anger," Loki says as he sits down beside him. "He does not mean what he says and did not mean what he said to me—us."

"He often does not mean what he says. He may be no liar, but he tells more untruths than the purist of beings. It is because of his irrationality."

"Thor only wishes for things to be the way he wants them, but they are not. They can never be, and as much as we know that it frustrates him, his words cannot change anything." He inhales. "If some Midgardian man was the father of our children, Thor still would be unable to reverse time."

"That is an utterly ridiculous thing to even say on his part. We would never dare to stoop to such a level." His doppelganger chuckles. "Though we do know that if we would let a Midgardian lay a finger upon us in such a manner, Martin would be the first choice."

"He is intelligent and attractive. We are not blind, simply gods."

"Yes, but Thor seems to often forget that fact. He is an immensely powerful man with the observation powers of a human." Loki and his doppelganger laugh. "If we told him that, he would throw one of his tantrums."

"Then proceed to observe things that a Midgardian would miss," Loki says. "I do not trust us not to point to one of the boys and 'observe' that they share many of his unique characteristics."

"Now, that is the way we will tell him if we ever must." He and his doppelganger nod. "We only get one chance, and the chance will not be a simple explanation of their paternity."

"Perhaps we could transmit the message through every device in the world. Thor would be sure to hear then."

There is a moment of silence, their breaths synchronized.

"Why do we still wield such feelings for him?" his doppelganger asks. By "we," he means the true Loki. Though they are essentially the same person, this doppelganger is a version of Loki from the weeks before the conception of his twins, him when he was no longer irrationally eager for a throne and as always, deeply in love with Thor. "Ten years have passed."

"Ten years is .2% of our lifespan," he replies.

"Perhaps in another 5000 years we will move on."

"You are thinking wishfully." Loki stands and turns the light off, the exiting light taking his copy with it.

"I will always be in love him," he says to the empty room, and his doppelganger may be gone, but Loki knows he would let out a knowing sigh and hang his head.

Any doppelganger from any second of Loki's life, even a 13 year old Loki with a desire to learn everything and anything, would do the same because it is a universal Loki truth.

* * *

**A/N:** Thor, don't stop believin', hold onto those children!  
Yep.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Sorry for the late wait. Been busy Yeah

* * *

Chapter 6: Annual Midgardian Costuming Preparation Loki

Hloridi roars as he pins the other boy down, a second passing before the boy taps out. He stands with a triumphant roar before turning to his opponent and bowing in unison.

"Again," Sensei Midori says, and impatience blooms inside of Loki.

Unlike the last time he sensed something wrong, Loki knows that it involves one of his sons. The rivulets of magic starting to trail up his arms from where Hloridi stands is an omen, but Loki is unwilling to take his son away if it is merely nothing but a product of his exertion. Hloridi's control over his magic is increasing with time, but in his warrior's mindset, his control slips.

The boy exhales and gives a futile kick which Hloridi blocks with ease. He attempts to lunge backward as Hloridi moves forward with his arms outstretched, but the boy is grasped and flipped over Hloridi's shoulder and onto his back.

In Loki's arm is a lightning shock as a bright gleam of purple flashes across a readying Hloridi's eyes.

Loki breaks from the ranks of watching parents and runs onto the mat just as Hloridi goes airborne, and he grabs him from the air as Hloridi readies his elbow for striking. A quick glance and Loki's knowledge of physics marks what would have been the possible collapse of the boy's airway.

"_Kana!_" Sensei Midori pulls the other boy to his feet. "Hloridi, what has occurred?"

He holds his forearm and turns to face the instructor. "My son is no longer… fit to train today," he says, holding the man's eyes.

He pauses for a second. "Of course. I will see you Saturday."

Hloridi scowls at the ground as he changes into his casual clothes, and Loki watches him with a cocked brow. "I'm fine."

"You are," he replies, "but that boy would not have been."

Hloridi looks up at Loki with narrowed eyes before he remembers just who he is regarding. "I apologize."

He grabs his bag from him and slings it over his shoulder. "Your apology is accepted. Come."

His gait is ashamed as he walks four paces in front of Loki, his shoulders rounded. Typically, his posture is perfect and projects confidence to those around him. Here, he is exposed for those to see the boy who lies within, and Loki wishes to scold him for it but he cannot. Loki was attacked at his most vulnerable and would never do the same to his own children.

Loki lets them drive in silence for the first few minute before he glances at Hloridi's hard expression in the passenger seat and decides that there is a talk needed. "Are we going to talk about what was about to happen?"

Hloridi rests his head on his knees. "No."

"I know we are," he replies. "You would have murdered him."

"Could have, Father. He could have lived as well."

"You and I both know how fragile the Midgardian body is, and the force combined with your technique would have surely finished him. Let us not dance around the main idea in this conversation, Hloridi. Tell me, what has gotten past your shields?" Loki turns to him as they stop in front of Miranda's residence. "Your quarrel with your brother and his relationship with Thor, has it begun again? Is this jealousy you hold for it affecting your ability to reason?"

"I'm not jealous!"

"You are not as good a liar as you think you are."

"Father, whatever! I don't care if you or him think I'm jealous or whatever! I'm not, and I'm over that stupid thing anyway! I have enough friends to make up for Thor liking him more. I'm Hloridi Laufeyson, the most popular guy in our grade! Am I the only one who remembers this?"

Loki chuckles. "As if any of that matters."

"It does here on Earth."

Snark would often earn Loki a strike to the face, strikes he grew to resent with time. With that in mind, he inhales and turns to stare at the suburban road ahead.

Loptr opens the back door and slides into the car. "What's up my family members?" he asks. "Anyway, I had the most fun time in history of life."

Loki starts the car. "You did? Tell me about this fun time."

"Dylan and I were talking, and he challenged me to a round-off off. He had no idea what he was getting himself into, so we split into teams. Miranda and Chloe were on my team and Avery and Jeanette were on his. It was so awesome. We did relays and stuff. For the talent show, the six of us are thinking of showing off our skills."

"That sounds like the lamest thing ever."

"To you," Loptr replies. "What did you do then?"

He watches Hloridi shift in his seat next to him. He can sympathize with the feeling of being misunderstood, but he cannot help if Hloridi does not tell him. The boundaries of trust they have established do not include Loki going inside of his son's mind. He will only do that if there is no other option or a matter of safety on his son's part.

"You know what I did, Lop. Don't be dumb."

"Jeez, was just asking," he says.

As soon as the car ceases movement, Hloridi gets out, slamming the door behind him as if any damage he does to it will cause Loki any personal issue. If he breaks the class, he will be the one to fix it with the magic he is so keen to use where pranking his brother is involved.

"Father, what's wrong with him?"

Loki sighs because he is unsure himself.

"You know, Father, I'll just go talk to him. He's probably just mad at something Cooper said. We both know how stupid Cooper is."

Loptr finds Hloridi hanging upside down in a tree, and Loki watches through the backdoor as he joins his brother up there. The sight of the two of them talking in conversational voices and not causing each other harm should be one Loki is familiar with, but sadly, it is not.

By the morning he expects them to be at odds again, but his expectation is not reality. Of all days for them to put aside their quarrels, they have chosen the day of their recital.

"We're going to rock it tonight," Hloridi says, Loki seeing him pump his fist in the rearview mirror. "People won't know what hit them."

"It sounds as if you are referring to a rock concert, not a ballet recital," Loki says.

"With us there, it'll be like one," Loptr says, and Hloridi shouts, "Yeah!"

As he stands in front of the school, he casts a glance up toward the sky and warns the All-Father that tonight is not the night for one of his lessons.

Thor

Thor watches with amusement as Hloridi dismisses his companions before sidling up to his desk with his attempt at casual. As a boy, he often employed the aloof façade when in need of something however rare it was for him to be denied. His brother had little problem in denying him of his requests, so he learned that appearing casual was an easy way to worm underneath Loki's skin.

Loki, forever the master of manipulation, quickly caught on, and in time, Thor found another tactic that not even Loki could resist: intimacy though Thor often forgot his original intent after completion. Perhaps he and Loki were both unsuccessful and successful in using lust as a will-bending tool.

"What is it that I can do for?" he asks.

He exhales loudly as he runs his fingers over the edge of Thor's desk. "Tonight Lop and I have this recital thing." Hloridi makes a dismissive hand gesture. "Whatever. It's at this place you might know: Lovecraft Hall. You have to dress business-casual, or you could wear your Asgardian uniform. Actually, you probably shouldn't if you don't want Father to cut off all contact. That'd be awkward."

"You are extending an invitation?" Not one to pass up an opportunity to mess with the boy, he puts a hand to his chin and takes a thoughtful expression. "This recital, when does it begin?"

"8:00 pm. Why, do you have something else to do?"

"Perhaps," he replies, and Hloridi's eyes widen a fraction. "Steven thinks not to inform me of prior commitments until they are to occur. As of tonight, I am unsure of whether my attendance can be guaranteed."

He crosses his arms. "Well… why don't you just call him or something?"

"Steven is currently occupied."

"How do you know? He's not even here!"

Thor barely suppresses his smile at the rage on Hloridi's face. "Steven is predictable."

"So, then how do you know you won't be free tonight? Oh yeah, you do, you're just afraid of seeing our mad skills!" Hloridi grins. "You owe me a solid, remember? You have no choice but to come. I'm asking for that solid, Thor. Tonight at our recital. You've got to be there."

Being given an ultimatum by a ten year old boy is not one situation Thor has faced in his many millennia. Now he can truly say that he has though this boy is not merely a boy. He may be… half-Midgardian, but he is no Midgardian.

"Fair," he says. "I will be there."

"Give me your word." Hloridi extends one of his arms. "Father says your word is one of the strongest in the realms. I want it."

"Asking for my word—demanding it—is not how you get it, Hloridi. You earn it."

"I don't have time for that. Father is going to be here any moment, and I doubt you want him to get all questioning about what we are talking about, do you? If he finds out, he'll totally try to convince you not to come. So, please, give me your word!"

Thor shakes Hloridi's hand, slightly impressed by the firmness of his grip. "I give you my word, but only because I desire to see 'mad skills,' and you used the word please."

"You never say please."

"Yes, I do say it when the situation calls for it." He slings his bag over his shoulder and puts a hand on Hloridi's shoulder, walking him to the doorway. "Many Midgardians are not worthy of my formality."

"You know, I could record you saying that, and bam, the whole world would think you're crazy and looking to take over this planet. How hilarious would it be if Father had to stop you this time?" He smiles though Thor does not see the comedy. At all. "See you later, Uncle T-Unit."

The endearment is strange, but Thor will accept it. The rules of engagement are different for the twins as they are his nephews, nephews from his undoubtedly favorite and most beloved brother Loki. Informality is nothing for Thor to be offended by especially with their Midgardian living. Also, he finds it somewhat cute.

Steven has no plans for the night that include Thor as Thor already knew, and his attempt to get one of their teammates to accompany him to the recital fails when Thor gives him a pat on the shoulder and a reassurance that he will bring Mjolnir.

Thor _always_ brings Mjolnir or has her within distance to call, but Steven agrees anyway.

Taking Hloridi's advice, he forgoes wear of his armor though he finds little use of it these days with his job as a Midgardian teacher and the dress code he must follow. If he pleased, he could simply walk in as Thor, the god of thunder, and none would speak out in fear of either earning his scorn or too mystified with staring to formulate the proper suggestion that he change into something more suitable.

Natasha winks at him before he departs in his chosen attire of "business-casual" as Jane has informed him in the past. "You look snazzy," she says, leaning against a column of the patio. "I would have just gone in the Thor armor, but I'm not a god for a reason."

He chuckles and bids her farewell before he departs in a vehicle. His brother knows the signature of Mjolnir far too well to not sense his incoming arrival by flight, and he would rather not chance upon a raincloud and land wetter than he ascended.

He receives a few second glances when he enters the premises, and with his likeness plastered over many forms of media including an interview Tony convinced him and the captain to do for a "fashion digest" wherein he appeared dressed in derivative wears of his uniform. The issue filled with captain's awkward sternness is not one Thor or the rest of their friends are soon to forget.

Or the Midgardians whose eyes widen in recognition and mouths flounder as they attempt to form words.

He seeks the aid of a woman sitting at the desk labeled "Concierge." "Excuse me, madame, would be so kind as to direct me to a ballet recital?"

The woman gapes. "Uh… s-sir, I think you mean the one at 8:00, correct?" When he nods, she gives him a shaky smile. "Sixth floor. There's an auditorium you can't miss. If you don't mind me asking, is there someone you are here for?"

"Yes," is all he replies before continuing his journey with the new directions. He spares a few nods in the directions of those who are not covert in their pointing and staring, receiving looks of shock and a faint in the case of one man.

He has had quite a few more fainting people in this past decade than he has had since his visit to the worshippers who prayed to them and offered them gifts for their services, Thor appearing in front of those he felt truly devout and watching them crumple to the ground in shock. Loki took great envy in the sheer amount, larger than his by far.

Perhaps it is Loki's own propensity for inconspicuousness as he stands in the center of the lobby, Midgardians moving around him without more than an impressed glance at his beauty. He has waged war against their world and slaughtered their own though they treat him as if he is another nondescript person.

Loki is far from conventional, and to see him receive such treatment makes him feel guilt at his own relative obliviousness of the yearning Loki felt for recognition whether it be for mischief or genocide. Ten years have not entirely done away that sentiment as Loki aims a cold look at the Midgardians around him, flecks of warmth in his eyes anytime he meets the eyes of one of the two ones standing in front of him.

Thor is thankful that Loki has them however much it pains him to know the circumstances surrounding their conception. He must not think so selfishly when his brother is involved. Such thinking is what led them here, to this place where Loki "hides" and Thor continues to follow him.

He is granted a wide breadth from the Midgardians, taking the straight path to Loki, Loptr, and Hloridi. A smile comes to his face the moment Loki glances away from his sons and sees him, and he nods him a greeting before he reaches them. "Hello."

Loki's eyes are wide. "What are you doing here?"

"You came!" Hloridi shouts before clapping a hand over his mouth.

Loptr glares at him. "Lori, jeez."

"Hey, happy to see you here, Uncle Thor-a-saurus Rex!" Hloridi grabs his brother's hand. "Come on, Lop. It's time to go get changed. See look, he's here. We got to go! You two have fun!"

Loki follows his sons with narrowed eyes, and even behind the spectacles, his gaze is still as potent. "Hloridi extended an invitation."

"He said I feared his 'mad skills,' so it is my duty to prove that I do not fear something as ridiculous as that."

"You should," he says. "You should be quite afraid of both of their 'mad skills' or anything of that sort. They have inherited a liking for shenanigans that I can appreciate after I am finished admonishing them. Perhaps your presence will discourage any mischief as they so verily recognize your authority." He looks like a boy for a moment before his face closes again. "Where is your assigned companion?"

He simpers. "I have come solitarily."

"You have finally stood up to the whims of Captain Steven Rogers, hm?"

"Loki, I could not believe—oh, hello, Professor—I mean, Thor." Albert Lavert stands with his ubiquitous cheerful expression, presence intrusive. Is he always with Loki? Why is he so tolerable to the man who hates everyone though Thor only half of the time? "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Hloridi invited him," Loki says, and Thor is almost offended until he remembers that they have no relationship from the perspective of everyone else. They have no relationship from Loki's perspective though Thor vehemently disagrees with his _brother_. "The possibility that you have been replaced as favorite teacher is increasing with each passing moment, Albert."

"He's a kid. He doesn't know what he wants," Albert says. "Good luck with him, Thor. I bet you can handle him. He's a good kid though."

Yes, Hloridi is a good child though he has a streak of rudeness that Thor can hardly stand. Albert does not need to state the obvious, and Loki appears to not mind, but when Thor does it, he is called an oaf or given an eye roll.

Loki continues to regard Albert with neutrality as they walk a few paces in front of him, Thor hanging back to take in their body language. Loki is closed off and tense as usual, and this Albert is relaxed. No, no clear attraction of that sort, which is fortunate for Albert's sake. Thor is here now to fend off the charms of mortal men against his brother.

When Loki goes to sit with Albert between them, Thor does not hesitate to move to his other side, smirking at the way Loki's jaw clenches.

Natasha has taken them to ballets in the past, even performed for an audience including their team during a mission of hers, and Thor has found the entire "art" to be quite similar to the movements he has witnessed most of his life from the lithe limbs of someone close.

Someone who sits beside him.

Loptr and Hloridi's inheritance of the grace and poise Loki has always held over his head is no surprise, the two of them flitting and spinning as if their spindly limbs weigh as much as a grain of sand. Even as twins, they are quite different as they perform the same movements, and if Thor were unaware and painfully optimistic, he would think that he is looking at a concoction of him and Loki, one more like him and the other similar to him.

Their bows are fittingly grandiose, and a grin splits Thor's face. In what Loki has told them of him, he ponders if he made mention of Thor's childhood grandiosity as this is a, as Tony would say, "line from his code."

He watches Loki's face of pride, and his grin grows impossibly bigger at the distantly familiar sight of his brother happy. He has only ever wanted happiness for Loki, and one would think he has it if they did not know Loki like Thor does. Thor knows him the best of anyone, ever, and that is not a childish though but a truth.

"They were magnificent," Thor says, and Loki's eyes find his.

"Save your praise for them," he replies. "They will be ever so glad to hear it from their favorite god."

In the retort, Thor finds an invitation that he takes to follow Loki, patting Albert's shoulder when he states his need to depart and trying to hide his satisfaction at it being only them.

Loptr bows again at the sight of them, and Thor chuckles. "We were so wonderful and good."

"Told you we had mad skills," Hloridi says. "Didn't believe me, and now you're mad."

Thor cocks an eyebrow. "I am not-"

"You're mad." He gives him a victorious look, and Thor finds Loki giving him one of amusement. "Tell us how good we were though we already know it."

"Have you both not been taught humility?"

"Nope!" Loptr jumps into the air, extending his arms as if he is a bird. "We get it from our father. He never learned humility, and he thought he was totally all that, but no, he wasn't, and our father-"

"Our father was a BAMF," Hloridi says as he stares in Loptr's eyes, the two of them speaking without words. "Who needs humility anyway?"

Loki scoffs. "Do you wish for me to take a page from that of the All-Father and exile you?"

Oh what hilarity is found in Thor's past of arrogance and the ensuing exile to Midgard, but Thor only sees the necessity in it now that he has humbled with the passing of time. Well, it would be funny if Thor were not made mortal, putting him at vulnerability for attack, which he was by the Destroyer his brother sent with the intention to kill him. Then again, that was not amusing at all.

"I have to exile myself to the room of rest," Loptr says. "I'll be back. Miss me!"

"Totally won't," Hloridi replies as he rolls his eyes. "So glad to get rid of him."

"You two are insufferable," Loki says. "You need to find fortune in the fact you are my sons as I am compelled to love you."

Thor smiles. Same words have been uttered from Loki's lips directed at him instead during moments when Loki held his hands over his fresh wounds from battle or faced scolding from the All-Father for inciting fights with those who sent wayward looks in Loki's direction. Only has he heard "I love you" from his brother during the moments when he was open both literally and metaphorically, beneath Thor with earnest eyes. Over ten years.

"Aw, Father, I love you-"

A spark travels from his fingertips up his arms, leaving a charge of electricity and magic behind. The field increases in speed until Thor can start to hear it though the sound is drowned out by another much louder and higher one.

Hloridi's scream is piercing though Thor is too confused by the sensation of magic on his skin to react to the sharp sound, a scream of such a pitch no Midgardian is capable of producing. He folds in half and wraps his arms around his midsection, and the thrum of magic becomes a low tone as it vibrates over Thor's arms and over his body as if he is being enchanted.

Loki kneels in front of Hloridi, his hands on his arms. "Hloridi, what is it?"

From Hloridi's mouth comes a sharp gasp, and the magic on Thor's skin is gone as fast as it came.

"Hloridi-"

"Father!" He straightens up, and his face projects sheer terror, Thor's hackles rising in preparation to defeat that who dare cause him to Hloridi. "Father! Father!"

Loki stands as well, and Thor takes a step toward the two of them, brow furrowed. "What is wrong?"

"Father, something—something happened! Oh god, Father!" He does something unexpected, slips his hand into his pants, and he screams again though quieter than the first. "Father," he says as he begins to cry.

"Ew, why did you put your hand in there?" Loptr asks as he joins them.

"There's something else!" he shouts before he darts into the darkness beside the stage, and Loki follows after him.

Thor starts to follow him, but Loki turns.

"Stay," he says, giving Thor a look. "I can handle this."

Only when Loki is gone does he realize what Loki was trying to communicate.

He swallows and puts a hand on Loptr's shoulder to lead him to stand in wait for his father and brother in the lobby. It is only logical that Hloridi would inherit his father's extra… anatomy though the timing is later than when Loki went through the change.

As a naturally curious brother, he sought out an explanation for Loki's recent night of shrieking and the following morning of skirt wearing, and he discovered more than he was prepared for. With the knowledge that Loki was in possession of such an… anomaly, his own feelings for his brother took shape into something much more tangible: desire.

Even as a boy, he saw nothing wrong with his feelings toward his brother though his friends often made remarks about the relationships of his family members who shared more than blood. Their opinions were not on his mind when he was pursuing his brother's romantic and sexual affections.

"I wonder if it's something like an alien virus," Loptr says after twenty minutes pass. "That'd be cool." He sounds like the man of tech he so highly admires.

Thor raises his brows. "The health of your brother would be endangered."

"Oh yeah." He frowns. "Never mind on that then."

Loki comes out with a neutral expression in place and without Hloridi at his side.

"What's wrong with him?" Loptr asks, and Thor turns all of his attention on Loki.

Loki adjusts his glasses on his face and crosses his arms. "Your brother—Hloridi has gone through a slight change in his physical anatomy. I went through as such when I was ten years old though I was unsure when the change would occur in either of you or if it would occur at all. He has acquired another method of reproduction, which enables him to also bear children."

"He got what?" Loptr erupts into laughter, and Loki and Thor exchange an exasperated look. "That's great! This is just great! Wow, my day has been made!"

"Loptr, please," Thor says, giving him a disapproving look.

His own sensitivity for Loki's ordeal severely lacked as his mind focused on getting the one thing he wanted even though he had no idea what he was getting himself into. He cared not as long as it allowed him to get as close to Loki as he wanted.

Hloridi appears with his hood over his head and goes to stand beside Loki.

"Heard about your little… thing," Loptr says. "That sucks."

He knows him enough to anticipate the terrible thing that is to come from his mouth, but Thor is not fast enough to suggest that he forego the childish remarks.

"You're more of a girl than me now!" is what he manages to shout before Thor covers his mouth with a hand.

Loki pursues Hloridi, and Thor puts Loptr over his shoulder to follow them. "Hloridi, halt!" he shouts, but the boy continues ahead of them, Loki from head to toe in his movements and manner.

It hits him at the sight of a boy with his arm draped over the shoulders of a blushing girl. Midgardian and Asgardian young boys share the same sensibilities as Thor did during his adolescence.

If one of these humans dare try something with him—on him, the combined might of the Earth's heroes will not be able to restrain him from disabling his ability to touch and the gods will not be able to convince Thor otherwise. He will do to that human as he would do to the sorcerer who dared touch his Loki, and he will take immense pleasure in watching them beg for the mercy they did not have regarding them.

They enter the stairway, and a few levels below, Hloridi's staccato footsteps echo up to them.

Loki turns to Thor with a sigh, and as if they are young again, Loki is serene while Thor is enraged and excited. "Thank you," he says, and Thor is left unsure of what he is thanking him for when Loki snaps, and he and Loptr disappear in a mist of green magic, the footsteps below ceasing.

Loki

With the appearance of something none of his peers had, not even Thor, Loki should have been more skeptical of his Aesir lineage, but instead, a Loki of four heads high and live for only nine rotations of sol accepted the explanation given to him by his mother—Thor's mother Frigga.

"Magic" was to blame for the mysterious opening acquired, a tight hole of pink and mortifyingly sensitive at the most inconvenient times, especially those around his brother—no, not his brother: Thor.

He was feeling the beginnings of a millennia old game of "prove just how much you truly care, _brother_" as his bones ached and his thighs tingled in his electric presence of goofy grins and gentle nudges in Loki's ribs. Even during the taunts he received for his choice to wear skirts—it made it so much easier—ones that turned into queries-"why are you wearing a skirt, brother?" "Are you a girl, brother?" "Can I see, brother?"—that Loki easily avoided answering, only murmuring of "magic" when Thor's questions became unbearable even for him as a flush crept up his neck as he sat with Thor's familiar hand innocently upon his bare knee.

The years only added to his frustration around Thor for he remained fairly oblivious of the effect a mere touch to Loki's shoulder could do to his… thing. The Jõtnar do not have a name for it as there is none needed when one can simply skip the conversation and get right on with the act which requires little words in itself.

Yet another trait that separates the Jõtnar and Aesir.

Loki should have known that he was no Aesir, but a member of the intersexed "savages" he had been indoctrinated to so loathe. He was his own enemy, collateral for the All-Father in the event of another war between his, his _native_ realm and the one of those pretenders.

Oh how it pleased Odin when he discovered Loki's little "thing" and the possibilities that came alongside. Perhaps he could marry Loki to a noble man with a liking for youths, a Dark Elf who was in need of an heir.

He cannot fathom marrying off the boy curled in his bed, the true love one feels for their son, what Odin never felt for Loki no matter how adamant he remained of his egalitarian ways regarding him and Thor. He would sooner address Odin as "Father" yet again than treat Hloridi like chattel.

He takes in a breath as he runs his hand over the black hair—_his_ black hair. This is his son, accursed with the mark of the Jõtnar, the mark of his forefathers.

"Father, w-why me?" Hloridi asks, sniffling. "Why can't I be normal?"

Loki continues stroking his hair and presses a kiss atop it. "You need not to be normal," he replies. "You are perfect."

Thor

Hloridi misses two days of school, and Thor actually misses his sarcasm and overconfident answers. He is not the only one as his three companions all appear to have lost their leader who Hloridi undoubtedly is much like Thor and his own friends the Warrior's Three. Loki definitely told them tales of him because that is no coincidence. He is quite flattered by their adaptation of a few of his ways.

Loptr drags his feet and sulks during class, only gracing Thor with a slack wave as he departs. Thor misses the grin and energy the boy usually projects, and the second day, he accidentally lets it be known to Bruce that he wishes for Hloridi's swift and safe return so things may return to the way they were.

"You missed the little asshole?" Bruce asks, and Thor's eyes narrow in an instant at the insult.

"Do not speak so ill of Hloridi," he replies, remembering a similar happening during their first assembly on the helicarrier. The one being spoken of was instead Hloridi's father. "He is but a boy, and he is—he is my blood."

No, he may not truly be of Thor's blood, but Loki is his brother whether he denies that and renounces Thor as a fool. If Loki is his brother, Hloridi and Loptr are both his nephews, and Thor would be happy to face those who think differently.

Natasha sits down on the arm of Bruce's chair. "But he is, and you know it," she says, "and a massive liar."

He begins to ask what they suspect Hloridi of lying about, but Steven enters and announces that he is coming with him to school the following day due to suspicion of Hloridi's absences. Thor skips indignation to amusement and throws his head back to laugh, beginning to tell of the reason of Hloridi's absence when he realizes that none of them are owed an explanation. It is not Thor's to give anyway.

The sight of Hloridi walking in with his usual saunter makes Thor let out a sigh of relief.

"It is good to see you back," he says, putting on a face of bare amusement. He does not think he will give him the satisfaction of knowing that Thor actually missed him. "Your brother's behavior has suffered a decline in your absence."

He crosses his arms. "Who cares about him? What about me? You missed me, didn't you?"

Thor exchanges a look with Steven where he is talking to Cooper. "Your absence had unsavory consequences."

"So, you're saying you didn't miss me, but the effect I have on people?" Hloridi slowly grins. "That means you miss me. My effect on people is an extension of thyself. I know, I know, I'm pretty awesome, aren't I?"

"I would not call you 'awesome,' but you do possess 'mad skills.'"

Hloridi lets out a boyish giggle. "Wow, that's great. Uncle Thunderstruck, you're my favorite uncle, you know that?"

Though he could point out that he is the only uncle who knows of his existence, he does not and accepts the feeling of being something other than despised by the boy.

Loptr's back to his normal self come lunchtime, sitting down at the Avengers table with a bright grin, and he only shoots one insult of his intelligence at an approaching Hloridi before settling down. He practically vibrates in his seat, and Thor has to grab his wrist to steady him when he begins to flail his limbs along with his recount of a story from his youth about his and Hloridi's adventures in the backyard.

Hloridi grins and interrupts his brother to loudly shout, "Tomorrow is Halloween!" to the cafeteria, hoots and hollers coming from his peers. He looks satisfied with the reaction, and Thor shakes his head at how truly different he is from his father in that regard. Loki may have wanted praise, but he was not ecstatic to gain it on such a wide scale or for something as mundane as… Thor is not even sure why the children admire Hloridi.

Perhaps it is his Asgardian charm. Now that is quite like his father.

"There was no need to yell," Loptr says, and Steven nods in agreement.

"There's always a need to yell," he replies with a grin, and Thor nods in agreement. Yelling is quite fun.

"What do you plan on going as?" Steven asks.

"An Asgardian." They shoot each other twin glares, teeth bared like feral animals.

"I was going to be one first!" Hloridi brings his fist down on the table.

Loptr does as well. "No, I was!"

Thor sighs and waits for them to resolve their squabble as usual, the yelling followed by a hug and an apology. In that regard they are unlike he and Loki were, getting over their conflicts with simple apologies and hugs while he and Loki drew them out until they were either commanded to apologize or, after childhood, happened to be alone and deprived for too long.

"Why don't you both go as something else?" Steven shrugs. "I don't go as Captain America."

"Um, yeah, you do every time you go into battle."

Hloridi and his brother exchange a look, and Thor is relieved that it has come to an end so easily. The corners of their mouths quirk up in a way Thor's come to associate with Loki and his tricks.

"Wait, Steve, you're right… as always."

Steven doesn't seem offended by the added snark and nods.

Loptr turns a grin on Thor. "Thor, can I be you?"

He raises an eyebrow. To anyone with properly working vision, the resemblance between him and his nephew is evident because, as Hloridi put it, "Father definitely has a type." Thor both fumes and heats at the thought that he had such an impact on Loki as Loki had on him, but alas, there is nothing Thor can do now, but appreciate the benefits such as this one. Due to their resemblance, Loptr's intention to costume himself as Thor will take little effort on his part, and Thor is looking forward to seeing Loptr fully transform into Thor.

"Of course," Thor says. "I am honored. Hloridi, which Avenger do you plan to go as?"

"I know what costume I'm getting, but it's a surprise."

With these two and who their father is, surprises are not something one should celebrate or lament.

Loki

"Thor is taking Lop to get his costume."

Loki glances around once more before realizing the implication of Hloridi's words. His other son is not coming.

The past three days have been spent mostly with Hloridi, but the great thing about Hloridi being so Thorian is than Loki has had centuries of practice in building up a tolerance to the arrogance and immaturity though Hloridi and Thor do still manage to push him to his edge.

"A 'good' costume," Hloridi says. "He's being Thor."

He frowns because in the ten Halloweens they have experienced, Loptr has never expressed any interest in costuming himself as his father, "one of the earth's mightiest heroes." His new presence in their lives can be blamed, but Loki knows them well enough that there is something more to this than a sudden need to get close to his father or "uncle."

He does not go and seek Loptr though as he will not try to control him as others tried to control Loki, to mold him into something they better understood.

He will not make those mistakes, and thus far, he has avoided it when he could. Of course, there are certain aspects to raising children that involve Loki having to apply his own views to decide the course of action, but they are few a far between.

"Interesting," he says, walking beside his son. "I am inferring this is a group thing then?"

"Yeah, all of the Avengers are going." He makes a dismissive gesture. "I bet it's going to be hilarious to see their faces when he chooses Thor out of all of them. Tony is going to freaking flip."

He chuckles. "He is a man of large ego," he says, which is just why Loki likes him the most out of a group he does not like. "I am surprised he is not your favorite Avenger."

"What?" Hloridi clicks the seatbelt closed before returning to his incredulous posture. "Father, you're kidding, right? Ha, ha, Hloridi is so cocky. No, never ever would I like Tony Stark. He's weird, and he thinks he's so funny. He called me evil when he is the morally ambiguous one. Does everyone forget he killed a bunch of people too? I know, he was saving people like that airplane thing which was pretty cool, but he still killed people."

Loki feels something shift inside of him as he stares at the road, the Midgardians around him suddenly more noticeable, their presences heavy in the atmosphere. They go about their lives as if they are ever so important in this expansive universe of billions upon billions of stars, and Loki recognizes the wrong in that type of thinking. He recognized it then as well.

Hloridi changes the song in his periphery, dropping his hands from the dashboard with a satisfied sound as No Doubt begins to play.

"I have killed people," he says. "I have killed Midgardians, Aesir, Jõtnar, Dark Elves, anything that comes to mind."

"But that's what's expected from you, you know?" He can tell he is choosing his words carefully. "You're like evil."

"I am?"

"No, not really, but these people don't know that, Father. When you kill, you do it with an end in mind. You don't go around killing people for fun though you might find a little fun in it if you hate the person because why wouldn't you. I mean, I love shoving Cooper around because he's a little piece of crap, but that doesn't make me totally evil. Like Far, he kills people to protect those he loves, which is kind of what you did back then. You were trying to get to an end, and those people just happened to be in your way. It was nothing personal."

Some would be offended that their child does not hold an idealized view of them as this being of infallibility and perfection, but Loki is not as it means that Hloridi has his own thoughts, his own feelings, his own values. He does not want a clone of himself—he can do that with a mere thought—but a son, and he has two of them with their own personalities.

The mistake the All-Father made was attempting to change Loki instead of offering his acceptance as his favored son had. Now, he is deprived from the honor of knowing his only grandchildren who will grow to become the strongest beings to have existed, _and_ he has ensured that his favored son will hate him for his role in this. Odin Borson may fall soon.

"'Far?'" He glances at Hloridi, seeing the flush on his neck.

"It's how I differentiate. I can't call him Father too, can I?"

Loki gets from the car with a smile. "I suppose you cannot."

Hloridi jogs ahead to open the door for a woman and her male companion, winking at her and getting a thanks and a giggle from the girl while a glare from the boy which he returns with more intensity. He gestures Loki in with a flailing arm, and Loki enters with an amused grin.

"When you are older, that will lead to altercations," he says, hand on Hloridi's shoulder.

He darts away to grab a plastic katana, swinging it around as he makes noises. "I will disembowel them."

A woman with a small girl holding her and stares at Hloridi in shock as if a ten year old should not know what disembowel means. Not every parent wishes to stilt their child's knowledge because of outdated social views on violence or sexuality.

Hloridi grabs a plastic tiara down and pirouettes before placing it atop the girl's ahead. "My liege," he says with a bow.

The small girl giggles, and the shocked look is exchanged for a grin. "Um, thank you."

"Many welcomes," he replies, and he sets the sword down to grab Loki's wrist and futilely tug him along, Loki simply walking after him. "Midgardians are so easy to manipulate."

Loki plucks a crown down and sets it atop Hloridi's head. "You are telling me?" He chuckles. "Come before you manipulate someone into doing something as ridiculous as stalking Cooper."

"Oh, Father, that'd be so awesome, wouldn't it? Oh gods, oh gods, I'm totally doing that when I get done learning to clone myself—I mean, oh yeah, I don't know anything about that, Father. I'm totally not doing that."

He turns from the display of Thor helmets. "I expect you have gotten as far as making an apparition, yes?"

Hloridi looks relieved. "Ghost-loridi is what I call him."

"I have a feeling that Loptr may approach me soon with the information that he has seen a ghost of you," Loki says as they enter the corner of the store devoted entirely to the Avengers. He is nearly nauseated by the abundance of stars and stripes. "Do not use it when he is in the bathtub, in a tree, or near any machinery. I do not want to have to explain why he is unscathed."

"No bath, no tree, no machines, good." He stops in front of the shelf of gold and green, and Loki immediately knows who Hloridi is being.

"This was unnecessary," he says. "I could have simply transfigured you one."

"But that's not the same!" He pulls down a green cape. "Look, Father-!" Hloridi's phone begins to ring in his pocket, and he pulls it out with one smooth motion, Loki rolling his eyes. "Hloridi L, how can I—ew, it's Tony Stark."

He takes the phone from him with a frown. "Stark, what do you want?"

"I love you too. Jeez, your kid is way cooler than you. Even that little asshole you're with."

"How dare you-?"

"Watch your speech!" Thor shouts in the background.

"So protective and so testy," Stark says. "Anyway, your kid says we're going as a group costume. We're on our way to the old NYC-"

"New York City!" A city he has a colorful history with.

Hloridi makes an incredulous face. "Unfair!"

"Obviously, Mischief."

"Do not call me that, Stark."

"We're discussing and stuff. He says we should be-"

"Ninjas!" Hloridi and Loptr shout at the same moment, and if it were not for their enhanced hearing due to not being of the Midgardian sort as his seemingly hard of hearing students are, Loki would be slightly wary.

"Yeah, says we're being ninjas. That cool with you?"

"I do not care," he says. "I will go as a ninja though I do not care what you do."

"We're being ninjas, guys. Fucking Loki's being bitchy about it, but he's in. Sorry, Thor, you know it's the-"

He ends the call and hands Hloridi his cell phone back, Hloridi giving him a blank look. "No."

"Please, Father, please! Look, I'm going to look totally like you, and you'll be like 'ZOMG my son is me.' How cool is that?"

This "ZOMG" and the like only manage to make him desire a thesaurus to show Hloridi that there are suitable options inside of strange acronyms that make hm sound so Midgardian that it hurts. He understands the need to assimilate, but the acronyms are nearing the line where it is only excessive.

"I would not say such a thing," he replies, eyeing the cape Hloridi holds in his hands. "Why?"

"Because Lop's going to be Thor. I have to show him who's the cooler god, Father." He grins. "Team Loki! Team Loki! Team Loki!"

"You must modify the costume as this one is not nearly suitable for immediate wear. They have gotten the proportions of the runes entirely off," he says. "I do expect you have enough knowledge of modification and summoning to do this yourself, yes?"

Hloridi opens his mouth, but Loki cuts him off.

"That would be preposterous. Of course you will require my aid." He grabs a replica of his helmet from the top shelf. "This will need to be reinforced, but it will do. Come as we have work to do."

He walks with a bounce, and Loki grins despite himself. "Oh, wait, Father, we must get this," he says as he holds a container of golden glitter. "Yes, now we can go."

Glitter and Hloridi does not amount to anything that ends well for Loki.

Thor

"We're going to get your costume the old-fashioned way," Steven says when Loptr informs them of his plan to costume as Thor for Halloween. He takes no argument from Tony when Tony attempts to convince him that going through such lengths is pointless with Tony's talents, pointing out that they are already on the jet thus making it foolish to waste the resources.

Tony of course responds with statistics of his expansive wealth and how he has made back the funds expended for the flight by the time they land at Avengers Tower.

Loptr's eyes widen as he takes in the accommodations of the penthouse, peppering Tony with words of praise for his "awesomeness" and expresses his admiration for Tony's achievements, Thor casually interjecting the fact that he is a god when Bruce comments, "He sees you like a god, Tony." Loptr grins up at him, and Thor sends Tony a triumphant look.

"I'm totally moving to New York City after high school," Loptr says as they walk down the sidewalk, Thor positioned to optimally protect him in the event of someone attempting to harm him. This city is unpredictable even with Tony's technology as prevention. "It's so cool, so awesome."

"You think that's a good idea with you know…" Bruce shrugs when Thor gives him a hard look. "I know, I know, he's not his father."

"I'm not, but I'm just as awesome!" he shouts. "Bruce Banner, you are a hater of my father, and I don't like it."

Thor bellows as Bruce tries to formulate a proper response, his brow furrowed. He grabs Loptr's hand and pulls him across the crosswalk.

"You don't have to do that," Tony says. "There's virtually no way he can get hit by a car because this is all computer controlled."

He does not let go of Loptr's hand until they are once again on sidewalk.

"Um… I really don't know what you expect me to say, kid," Bruce says.

"There is nothing for you to say," Steven says as he opens the door to a large store. "Team, spread out. I have got the cape, Tony and Bruce should go for the armor, Natasha, you are on hammer duty, and Thor, you-" Steven's words are cut off as Thor follows Loptr down an aisle of costumes of their friend Hank Pym.

"Steve's pretty annoying," Loptr says as he grabs a set of long swords. "He knows it too. That makes it even worse." His matter-of-fact tone only makes the comedy of his words greater, and Thor cannot contain his laughter, patting his chest when he sobers. "I'm glad you think I'm funny."

"I make no apologies for your words being so comical." He nudges his forward with a hand on his shoulder, the two of them going up a set of moving stairs to a floor designated "Avengers Assortments," which Loptr gives a dry laugh at.

Thor is not vain at all, but the sight of a large area dedicated solely to him and his garments makes him smirk. In modern Midgard, a very limited number continues their worship of him though that number has increased with his reappearance, but the knowledge that so many watch him with awe and admire him feels as though he is revered by hundreds of thousands again.

"Oh, cool," Loptr says, pulling a cape down and putting it over his shoulders. He jumps, the cape rippling behind him, and Thor claps. "Thank you, thank you."

"Hey, wait, do that again!" Clint shouts. "Wait, let me get one too."

He is watching two children prance around in capes in an attempt to upstage each other though Thor thinks that Loptr wins by far.

When the two of them disappear behind a rack of tunics, Thor does not panic as he still senses the strange thrum of Loptr's energy near, but he grows impatient with each moment that passes, tapping his foot and grinding his teeth.

"Where'd the two of them disappear off to?" Steven asks as he and Tony join him, Tony carrying a bag in the likeness of Steven's shield.

"Boss mode activated!"

Loptr and Clint emerge from behind a rack of capes, Loptr wielding a foam hammer and a winged helmet and Clint wearing a brown wig and carrying a replication of Lady Sif's shield.

Loptr smiles without teeth, and something attempts to light in the caverns of Thor's mind when he raises the hammer and makes a beckoning motion for Steven to come.

"How does he not know?" he hears murmured behind him, but he does not turn to see who the words originate from.

Painful optimism has done Thor no good.

Steven instructs them both to put the items back save for the cape, and Natasha channels a mother to take Loptr to get properly-fitted armor, ignoring his grumbling that he does not need her help. Even though he is slightly taller than she, Natasha guides him around with little effort, and Thor chuckles at the Loki-like look he wears when they return with armor.

"Did you thank her?" he asks, patting his shoulder.

"My thanks, widow," Loptr says, and Thor and Steven give him an approving look. He lets out a long suffering sigh, and Thor covers his chuckle as a cough. He is just ten and suffering the angst that afflicted his brother already. Then again, Loki is still an angst-ridden man.

"You're really getting Loki-ly," Clint says. "It's creeping me out."

Loptr turns to look at him, but something catches his attention and they are all dashing after him, his spindly legs carrying him surprisingly fast. He puts on a golden helmet with horns that looks eerily like his brother's chosen headgear. "Who am I?"

Thor tries not to frown. "I do not know."

"My father," he replies as he wears an expression that practically screams Loki, and Thor does not look away out of habit, years of realizing that looking away was a display of weakness to his brother still in effect. How this boy is such a perfect blend of him and Loki enrages him as it is not truly him, it is some other who Loki has given this gift!

He steps forward and removes the helmet, jaw involuntarily clenched.

"Kid, sometimes I think you're evil," Tony says. "Come on. You need a helmet and a hammer and everything in here is giving me engineer's heartburn."

Loki

"Hey, Father!" Loptr beams at him, but Loki does not return the look, currently occupied with glaring hard at the five Avengers. Yes, Thor is an Avenger, but he does not despise him in the way he does them, so different responses are needed.

"Nice to see you too," Barton says with a snort. "Hey, your kid wants to move to New York now."

Loptr frowns. "No, I do not."

The Avengers turn looks of disbelief on him.

"I want to grow up to take over the world."

No one besides Tony Stark laughs, Thor looking absolutely horrified by the prospect of having to fight another one of his family members. He is so adorably optimistic of things as if they will be a big family now, but that is far from the case. When these Avengers have made the wrong move, Loki will deliver the final blow needed.

"That's why you're my favorite," Loptr says. "He gets me."

"If getting you means being insane, no thanks," Barton says.

"That wasn't funny." The captain frowns. "That's really nothing to joke about, Loptr."

"Steve, he's just having some fun. The kid is ten, and he's on his way, okay? You've gotta meet Parker. He and you are so going to get along." Stark looks satisfied as if he has found the answer to his poor Midgardian life. "All three of us are going to be a power trio."

"What about the rest of us? Are we not the Avengers?"

"You tell us." Hloridi slides into the doorway beside him, wearing an expression of cool contempt. "Hello Clint and Natasha."

"Ha, see how it feels to be left out?"

Thor glowers, and Loki smiles. He is so very petty after these years he has spent with the petty problems of these petty people.

The widow elbows Barton in the rib as if he has something to apologize for when he doesn't. He should be proud of the fact that his son sees something worthy of admiration in him as Loki is sure they are good judges of one's character quality due to their relative uncaring for sharing their opinions though they are sometimes careful around him.

Barton, the weak-willed fool that he is, turns to Thor and attempts to apologize, but the widow elbows him yet again. "It's not my fault the kid recognizes awesomeness!"

"No, it is not," Loki says, and he moves aside and gestures Loptr to enter. "You have our thanks for your assistance."

"Wait, Father!"

Four wide eyes stare up at him, conjured tears making them shine.

"If we don't all go together, what's the point of having a group costume?" Hloridi asks, glancing at his brother. "So, we should all go as a group, and it would be fun, right?"

"Of course it would be fun!" Loptr shouts. "Okay, okay, tomorrow you six have to come back, so we can trick-or-treat as a coalition of cool kids and adults."

Tony chuckles. "You're funny, kid. Real funny."

"That sounds grand," Thor says, and Loki does not hesitate to roll his eyes. Thor simply stares at him as if he is suddenly immune to Loki's eye rolls.

"7:00 then," the captain says, glancing down at his wristwatch. "Is this agreed upon? Do we have anyone who is totally against? Bruce?"

Bruce Banner shrugs his shoulders. "I couldn't care less."

When he shuts the door on the Avengers, he turns to find twin smiles of innocence directed at him

He has grown soft.

_He maintains his calm until he's sufficiently stable, seated in the center of his bed in the requested alone confines of his bedroom. Only then does he let his eyes shut and his magic take upon a life of itself._

_When he feels the touch on his knees, one too oft forgotten for being so familiar, he exhales, hearing the tremble in his breath. This is going to happen, and Loki cannot do much other than help himself to the best of his ability, and Loki's abilities are the best he knows._

_"Such a realization should bring you joy, should it not?" His doppelganger, a projection of himself he uses when another set of hands or lips is needed. Of course he means lips and hands in a technical way, but as any other developing boy, he used what he could when he was in the mood for something more. Thor did not like his doppelganger at all, however ridiculous it was to be threatened by a temporary projection of Loki. _

_"Oh, that," his doppelganger says. "He was quite foolish to think me of a threat."_

_"When is he not foolish?" Loki lies onto his back, hands that are his yet not moving his knees apart with gentleness that only he could use on himself._

_"No one knows you like you." His doppelganger's fingers ghost over a sensitive spot, and Loki inhales sharply. "I sympathize. This is going to hurt quite a bit."_

_He grits his teeth as his abdominal muscles spasm. "I suppose I should be asking for remedies."_

_"If we were Midgardians, but fortunately we are not."_

_His mind is supplied with images from the eyes of his doppelganger. What strikes him the most is the light. "It is fitting for two gods to have such a beautiful birth."_

_"We expect nothing less," he replies, and Loki gulps down the pain of another body-wracking spasm. "We have done this together alone, have we not? No other being could accomplish what we have."_

_Loki chuckles. "I assume childbirth is included in that?"_

_"It will be after we are finished and successful." His doppelganger smirks. "We will be successful. This is one of the easiest things you have ever had to do, and need I remind you that you tolerated 5000 years of the All-Father? Most men would have gone to Hel than listen to his rhetoric. Now, push."_

_Letting go of Gugnir with the knowledge that there was no turning back was much easier than this._

* * *

**a/n: **Will try to start updating regularly again. Thanks for bearing with me!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Heh, there's actually a plot.

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Chapter 7: Annual Midgardian Costuming Loki

He casts one glance at himself in the mirror, satisfied with his appearance. Being a school teacher does not leave one room for many fashion faux pas, but Halloween is the time that all human throw out their stupid need to be accepted and dress as another, or in the case of many, dress as a "sexed up" version of themselves. Loki _is_ a sexed up version of himself. There is no better version though there are unfortunately worse.

As he passes Loptr's open door, he stops in his tracks.

He stands there as a miniature version of Thor, grinning as his father would. "Father, how do I look?"

Loki nods. "Sufficient," he says, "come."

His son's hammer covered in bright silver glitter swings through the air as he shouts out words in an imitation of Thor's voice, or more accurately, in Thor's pre-pubescent voice. If there was a time to be afraid of Thor finally seeing the truth, it would be tonight.

"Hloridi!" he shouts, casting another glance at a Thor-ified Loptr. He looks away from his grinning son and up the stairs again. "Hloridi!"

"Father, I'll be there in three minutes and two seconds!"

He sighs as the doorbell rings behind him, not bothering to put on any attempt at a smile as he opens it. He is only accompanying "the Avengers" because his sons now insist on injecting their presence on every outing. Why they like them, he has no idea, and he will never understand. He does not even care to. They are some of the most intolerable, self-righteous people he's had the misfortune to meet in his lifetime, and he's met the Romans at their zenith!

"You may all enter," Loki says, moving out of the way to take in their chosen costumes. It seems they listened to two ten year olds; all dressed in ninja costumes in their respective Avengers costume colors. His own is green and black though those are _his_ colors.

Captain Rogers inclines his head, the mask of his costume around his neck.

Thor enters, and Loki takes in his usual appearance of inhuman standards. A being of his stature should be marred by such boring garbs, but Thor is still a star among the abyss of the heavens. He is a god and will always look the part, and for that, Loki both envies and appreciates him.

"Greetings, Loptr," he says with a smile, "Loki."

"Doppelganger of similar Asgardian origin."

"Dude, you like shouldn't be allowed to dress as a ninja," the purple and black cloaked one says. Barton. "You're evil."

Loptr lifts his hammer in Barton's direction, and if he is not the younger version of Thor, Loki is Thor's brother. "What did you say to him, Midgardian man?"

"Hey, Thor, look it's Thor," Stark says. "Sassy Thor AKA the best Thor."

"You are thanked, Midgardian! Now, you, man of purple and black, will answer me!" He does a back tuck, landing in a pose so much like Thor that Loki throws his head back and laughs. "Now!"

"Jeez, I said he was evil. I think you might be too. Your brother is the only one of you expressing any sanity."

"Kneel!"

Loki swallows.

"Um, I take that back."

Hloridi descends the stairs, his previously matte golden helmet covered in golden glitter. With his request to purchase it, that is no surprise, and Loki suspected it would be used in such a way. His chin is out and proud, different than his usual Thorian cockiness. Loki's looking in a mirror to the past, over ten years in the past. "I said kneel!"

The internet is a place where children can stumble upon videos of keyboarding cats to several Loki's standing in front of a fine art museum in Stuttgart, Germany with the demands that those present drop to their knees and recognize his superiority. Curiosity has led his sons to seek the latter, Loki walking in several times during these viewing sessions to see them mimicking him. He is quite flattered.

"Should we?" Banner asks, scratching beneath his green collar.

Loki smirks. "If you dare to."

Hloridi walks up to Thor, staring at him with contempt. "Thor."

The corners of his lips quirk. "Brother."

"I am not your brother!"

The reason this was a bad idea is starting to reveal itself. Perhaps "sooner than later" is applicable here.

Stark begins to clap, and Loki sends him the glare he deserves. "Bravo, bravo, that was straight from the circa 2012 book right there."

The captain clears his throat as if his authority extends to this house, to his children, to him. How laughable is he? "We should probably get going."

"The man of spangles and stars is correct, brother!"

"He is," Hloridi replies, "and I am not your brother!"

Loki slips his mask on over his face because he would rather be hidden away from this emotional atrocity than partake while exposed to these people. They know nothing of him and Thor's relationship then, and they only pretend to know now. Their relationship is something of legend, not of idiotic Midgardian pseudo-psychology.

The journey to acquire candy is successful for the first dozen homes though the get looks from their neighbors for their chosen costumes. A woman recognizes the captain solely from the area around his mouth, taking his hand into hers and thanking him profusely. The captain foregoes his mask for the next few homes.

A man compliments Hloridi and Loptr's costumes, shaking Loptr's hand and thanking him for eradicating "such insanity."

Loki simply stares on, unaffected by such a juvenile comment, and his sons thank him before going about their way. At the end of the walkway, things start to move toward the terrible again.

"Brother, that man had no right to say such a thing about you," Loptr says. "You are beautiful, no matter what such a mortal says."

"Words cannot bring me down unless they are your words."

His eyes narrow as he takes in the way they are starting to touch each other, arms around each other's waists. He continues forward at the urging of a grumbling Tony and narrows his hearing range to that of his children's voices.

"Wait here, my fair brother!" Loptr pliés and pirouettes up the pathway, Natasha and Clint shadowing him. When he returns with candy, he repeats his movements though he ends with a front tuck into a kneel, offering a sparkling blue rose to Hloridi. He _did_ steal the book about transfiguration. "I have brought you back a sparkling rose to celebrate your wondrous Jotunn ancestry. I love all of you, brother."

Banner attempts to cover up his laughter through coughing.

Thor stares on in amusement, completely unaware of what his sons are implying. "They are quite sweet."

"Oh, Thor, oh, Thor!" Hloridi exclaims. "I love you too!"

Barton takes a step between them, earning him two glares. "Um, you guys are brothers, twin brothers," Clint says. "You don't love each other like that."

They look at him and grin.

"We're Loki and Thor, man who has aim like a hawk," Loptr says.

Hloridi nods. "Yes, so you see, it's not wrong for us to like each other like that. He is not my brother."

Stark bursts into laughter, ignoring the warning the captain gives him, and Loki stares on in horror, wishing that he were as cold to take away their ability to talk permanently.

"Guys, this is getting weird."

Thor steps forward, and the two of them rise, their eyes shining with hope in way that Loki almost wishes for them to succeed. "If I may ask, Thor Odinson and his fair brother Loki, what are you two insinuating with Thor and Loki's relationship?"

They look at each other, Natasha taking the rose from their hands and staring at it with curiosity. Her mind cannot comprehend the power that lies within his sons.

A loud tone sounds from Thor's pocket, and he pulls out a Stark phone, answering with, "Hello, Jane?"

Loki's blood runs hot, and he starts to see the air in front of him, his skin growing cold.

"I love you, Loki!" Loptr shouts, his voice pulling Loki back to a saner state of mind. "Let us have beautiful, magical children together!"

"Oh wait we already did!" Hloridi says.

"Jane, that is wonderful news!"

The twins groan as they realize their plan failed, and Loki silently cheers that he is safe, that they are all safe from the harm that comes with the truth.

The widow seizes them by their ears. "Come on, you two. Let's have a talk." The idea of her touching his children is not completely unfavorable if she is dealing out a verbal lashing for their gall. Had they succeeded, things could be different.

"She is a succubus!" Hloridi exclaims. "A black widow!"

He follows after them though he keeps his distance, enough to give the widow a perception that she is inaudible.

"You should have told him." The captain's need to be altruistic clashes with Loki's new sense of relief. "It's not soon before he finds out. It'll be too late to even try to explain, Loki. He might not forgive you this time."

He rounds on him. "You have no right to feign understanding, Captain Rogers," Loki replies. "You are a mortal, a mere man given the gift of science. Do not dare think you can fathom the affairs of gods!"

"But I can, Loki," he says. "You guys are just like us, emotional wrecks with daddy issues out the wazoo."

He grits his teeth, ignoring the way Banner is advancing on him. "I-"

"Lady Jane is in labor!"

His sons are beside him in nanoseconds, their eyes wide and curious. Inside, he feels quite similarly, but he keeps his curiosity at bay.

"The woman of science?" Loptr asks.

Thor cocks an eyebrow as though he should not know that but nods. Loki tells his sons all of their father's exploits. All. "Yes, Jane Foster."

"She's pregnant?" Hloridi exclaims. He throws his helmet to the ground, and it shatters, Loki sighing at his lack of control. "Woops. I mean congratulations. Yay, baby for Jane."

"We're coming," Stark says. "Babies are cool. Kids were cool until…"

Loptr turns his hammer on Stark. "Watch what you say, man of flesh and smarts."

The captain looks at his antiquated watch. "Okay, then. Are you all coming?"

"You have been busy today," Loki says, and they groan. "No, we are not."

"What? Older and father-ly version of brother, please?"

Hloridi picks up his helmet and shuts his eyes, murmuring something under his breath. His helmet is whole at the flash of purple light. "One who has gifted me with such powers and lent me such books, my brother is right. Can we please go, Father? Please?"

"Lent?" He rolls his eyes. "I would not call sneaking into my bedroom lending."

They snicker.

"He sings in the shower," Loptr says, and Thor grins, Loki rolling his eyes at this treachery.

"What? 'A Whole New World (Evil God Version)?'" Stark chuckles. "Oh, wait, I forgot. You don't do that anymore. You're a dad now, a professional party pooper. Party pooper, world-takeover loser? Dude, you're racking up the bad titles."

Of course his megalomaniacal tendencies are not to be forgotten. It has only been thirteen years, and twelve years is quite a large amount of the human lifespan. Even if they choose not to let bygones be bygones, his almost successful attempt at taking over this planet will not be made fun of by use of terrible ad-libs. He lost because he really didn't want to win, okay?

He cocks his head to the side and snaps, his and his sons' costumes swapped with their casual clothes complete with his eyeglasses. "Perhaps a… vacation day is in need."

Hloridi and Loptr perform their "secret" handshake.

"That was a lot like Team Rocket," Clint says. "Yeah, Team Mischief."

"Eh, good, Barton, but not as good as mine." Stark bumps his fist as him and his sons' roll their eyes at such a predictable name.

He takes his sons' hands and ignores their grumbles of lament at being "treated like babies." He resists the urge to say something contrived he's seen other parents say such as, "But you will always be _my_ baby," as Loki is not that keen to adapt some of the Midgardian parenting styles.

Thor exudes the eagerness of a soon-to-be father, so Loki turns his gaze elsewhere, finding his excitement to do nothing but increase his own dread. Perhaps his own need to be the one who produced Thor's progeny is creating this envy inside him or it's the fact that Thor moved back to his Midgardian girlfriend even after ten years. She is simply "rice and water," nothing as special as something like Sif. How did Jane Foster manage to keep his interest?

Thor's team mates share the same sentiments with their anecdotes about pregnancy though Loki could not feel less excited about something. When Thor goes to receive a call from Jane Foster, Loki turns his attention to a nearby Hloridi and beckons him into his lap, ignoring his protests that he is comfortable where he is.

He rubs his hair and grinds his teeth as he tries not to strain to hear Thor's conversation.

"You know, this sucks," he says, turning his head to look up at him. "I don't want another sibling."

Loptr manages to hear from his seat across from them, and he nods. "Yep, Lori is bad enough."

"I feel the same about you, twerp."

"Jerk."

"Dork."

"No Doubt sucks."

Hloridi sits up, teeth bared. "You take that back!"

"Fine." Loptr shrugs, and conflict is avoided.

"The pregnancy is difficult," Thor says as he resurfaces from the room. He sits in his chair beside Loptr, getting a magnificent glare. "The child does not wish to come into the world."

"How far dilated is she?" the Widow asks.

Thor looks confounded, but replies, "Six centimeters though I see no use of such information." He is a but a brute with no knowledge of the intricacies of childbirth save for where the child comes out. Loki would love to share with him the process he underwent.

The Captain starts to pinken. "Oh, that's…"

"I'm not surprised," the Widow says.

Neither is Loki. His own pregnancy was a ten month affair he barely managed to make it through. Their combined magic and his will sustained them during the tough times, but his body was not as prepared as it could have been to sire an Asgardian, let alone two at once. Jane Foster, a mortal Midgardian woman, is less equipped for this birth than Loki was at his birth.

"It is expected," he murmurs. "She is having a half-Asgardian child."

The Widow cocks an eyebrow, and Dr. Banner lowers his tablet.

"What?"

"No, Loptr, I'm sorry you have to wait." Steven confiscated the candy from his sons' upon boarding, and Loki let him. He is eager to see how the man responds to their opposition.

Hloridi slips from Loki's lap and tip-toes to the bag though Steven is watching them.

"Hloridi, you heard what I told your brother."

"Father, why is Steve so old school?" Hloridi asks, and Thor gives a chuckle. "He won't let me have any candy."

"You know what happens when you get candy," Loki says. "You will not have any while we're in a confined space."

He knows firsthand what it is like when they get candy, and it is not a mistake he will make again, especially not now.

"But StarkJet's go fast!" Loptr says as if that is a relevant. "We're going to be there in like 40 minutes!"

"35, kid. Give me some credit."

"35!" He falls into the seat beside Thor after Loki glares at him. "Fine. I'll go to sleep then."

Loki beckons Hloridi over and sets him back on his lap. "Fine."

The world mutes around him and desaturates, every movement sending a vibration through the air that dissipates into the others. Thor strokes a hand over Loptr's head, and a ripple of silver like an undulating snake slithers to the boy in his arms and to the one in Thor's.

_My liege_.

He blinks once as the realization of what is happening enters his mind. A year has passed since he has last communicated with them, their assistance unneeded with the aging of the twins. The annual celebration of his sons' birth is the most recent physical contact. Until now.

"Father…" Hloridi moans as Loki shifts him onto the seat. He lets out a huff before resuming his slumber.

Thor's eyes find his, asking a question, but Loki only returns a neutral look. He will not easily betray what is happening now as he has a great feeling of unease about the timing. It is unlike them to be so blatant. They know not to risk his wrath.

Life has been quiet, almost too quiet.

Rivulets of green sprout from beneath a closed door, one telltale sign of _their_ presence.

He glances around briefly before slipping inside.

The green-cloaked figure drops to kneel in front of him, his arm diagonal across his chest in an Asgardian salute. He has little respect for the citizens, but their culture is his own and became so when the All-Father took him as his false son, thus it is also his followers'. "My liege."

Ansvarr, son of Spaki. They are both aware of this, so Loki does not waste time with the pleasantries for he is not as long-winded as some. "You may rise," he says. "What is your business?"

"Heimdall has turned his gaze upon you, and the All-Father has been informed of the existence of two of his own energies," he replies. "He wishes to learn more, but we have casted and casted until we could no longer stand, my liege. We have not failed you nor will we ever live to face you if we do so."

Ten years it has taken for the All-Father to sense his grandsons. Loki has gotten verily good, has he not? He claims to see all, but it has taken him quite a while to recognize new flames of ancient magic in a universe where such things do not often happen.

"Despite our work, he still remains adamant on seeing to the source to these new forces." Ansvarr again falls to one knee. "He has sent eyes."

Perhaps he has known all along, and Loki is being blindly proud like the one he knows possesses such blindness.

"Hermod." The god of speed and one of the few allies Loki held in Asgard. "Has he arrived in Midgard yet?"

"Yes, my liege."

"Give me candy, Captain Dinosaur!"

Their surroundings are given color.

"Rögnvaldr," Loki says, and Ansvarr's hooded head dips. "Later."

He exits the room, closing the door behind him with an exhale.

Thor

"God of thunder."

"You can't have that name, fool. _Far_ has that name. That's like me saying I'm the god of lies. Firstly, it'd be wrong—half wrong, and secondly, Father is the god of lies."

"Fine." Loptr crosses his arms. "God of lightning."

"God of truth." Hloridi grins, and Thor probably should intervene before whatever scheme they are concocting comes to fruition, but the wishes to see what childish antics amount from this, which cannot be that bad. They may be the offspring of one of the most powerful sorcerers in the realms, but they are yet children. "As the god of truth, I think captain's been lying about us not needing candy."

Loptr grins as well. "As the god of lightning, I think we should do something about that with lightning."

He has no idea how he plans to get lightning for this plan, but he shall find out in little time as the two of them stand and go to where Steven leans against the railing along the wall, his eyes shut as he naps. Very casually—their attempt at casual is truly comical—they take station on either of his sides.

A smile comes to Thor's face as Steven awakens and looks at them with curiosity.

"Oh boy," Natasha says, pulling the magazine down from her face.

"We should stop them." Bruce looks quite comfortable in his chair.

"Nah, Steve's punched Hitler. He can handle two twerps."

"I thought I told you both very clearly that you couldn't have candy."

Hloridi now holds a candy bar in his hand. "You did, but..."

"But nothing," Steven replies. "Sorry, kids, but you can't eat that or any other candy you conjure, buy, steal, or borrow. No candy. It's 2 in the morning, and you haven't even had breakfast. So, give me the candy."

"Nope, no can do, Captain." Hloridi takes a step away. "I've gotta tell you this as the god of truth: I really don't want this candy right now anyway, but revenge is revenge. I learned that from both of my fathers."

Something inside of Thor comes alight.

"I'm so, so sorry, Captain, but you earned it!"

Steven goes to remove his hand from the railing.

Tony throws his cup of coffee into the air to push Steven away just as there is a bright flash of light that nearly blinds Thor, the waiting room filling with glowing white. When the light subsides, Tony and Steven lie on the ground now transformed into cement in place of the linoleum, fortunately unscathed though Steven looks extremely flustered.

He looks to his friends and finds that they are no longer sitting in the waiting room but across the road from the hospital in the sparsely populated parking lot, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce picking themselves up from the ground.

Thor perhaps should have intervened before.

"Wow, how cool was that?" Hloridi beams while his brother stares with wide eyes. "Brother, you have to teach me to do that!"

He inhales and the metallic tang of electricity and metal hits his pallet as if he has raised Mjolnir above his head and called down lightning.

Lightning.

A black scorch mark resides where Steven would have been standing if they were still in the waiting room.

"Oops."

Loptr grabs his brother's hand, and they stand side by side against his approaching team mates, a mirror image of what Thor and another were millennia ago as children.

Hloridi sticks his chin out. "To get to my brother, you have to…"

_"…go through me if you wish to get to…"_

"…my brother," he says.

Loptr pulls his hand away and sneers. "Lori, it was my fault! Don't try to…"

"_…accept the blame as you are not required."_

"It's my duty to protect you!" Hloridi shouts, and Steven goes to step forward but is barred by Thor's arm.

"I don't need…"

_"…your protection, Thor!"_

In one moment they are standing opposite each other and fuming as normal children and in the next they are godlings, dressed in the garbs of his home—their home with crowns perched atop their heads and purple capes billowing in the charged air.

"I teleported us here! This right now was my fault, Lop, so shut up!"

"You shut up!"

Thor steps forward and magic leaps onto his hand, running over his arm and leaving tingles behind.

"You're bragging about the fact that you got most of the magic!" Loptr shouts. "I don't care! I got the better deal, brother! I got the lightning!"

Lightning!

He calls upon Mjolnir as the charged air frenzies around him, every movement generating the ever so familiar sensation of static against his skin, and she flies into his upraised hand just as a lone bolt zigzags from the sky above. The bolt flows into Mjolnir before it can strike either of them, and he lets it flow into him, immediately recognizing the something extra within the electricity.

Magic, a variant of _his_ magic.

Never has Loki been capable of mimicking his magic, which caused friction between them after he began learning the ways of Mjolnir, Loki's past of being able to do everything Thor could do—better, he claimed, though Thor disagreed and still does in some regards—ending with his inability to harness the power of Gaia in one of its purest forms.

Only the worthy can wield Mjolnir.

"Oh god, Lori, I'm so sorry. Please, please, please—I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I was jealous. You have all the magic from Father, and I have to try harder to get it, and it's so unfair, but I don't care because I love you. Your my brother, and I would never ever, ever try to hurt you. Father is going to be so mad at me. Oh god, I'm so stupid…"

He steps between them. "Hold out your hands."

"…and Lop, it's okay,,,"

"Your hands!"

Their talking ceases, and four hands shoot out.

"Fa-Thor, we're sorry! Please, we didn't want to hurt-"

"Silence!" He brings Mjolnir to hover above their palms.

He drops it without a warning.

She does not touch the ground.

"Only those worthy can lift Mjolnir," Thor says as blue and green eyes watch him with fear and curiosity, "or those imbued with the blood of the one true wielder of this hammer, providing that the wielder remains worthy." He swallows. "The mightiest remains worthy of such an honor, and Mjolnir recognizes the posterity of the true wielder as worthy enough from that qualification alone."

He is the mightiest.

Those directly of his blood can lift the hammer as long as he remains so.

"Loki is not of blood of the All-Father, and no Midgardian has lifted Mjolnir since you."

"Um, this is getting heavy," Hloridi says, giving his brother a nervous glance. He is transparent.

"No, it isn't." Thor moves around them and starts back to the hospital.

He is in the presence of liars, and 5000 years of knowing the king of all liars have taught him when to delve past the falsities to seek out the truths. This is one of those situations where ignorance is no longer the better option, and Thor has been far too willing to turn a blind eye to the obvious facts laid in front of him on a platter presented by Loki himself.

Perhaps he should have seen the anxiousness in Hloridi's every movement during the admission, but his own mind was clogged with the possibility of Loki having found someone who proved more worthy of such a gift though in the end, Thor was worthy.

They are worthy.

They are his sons, and Thor is their father.

Loki doesn't spare him a look though Thor knows he can sense his approach, his eyes remaining glued to the glass separating him from the room of newborn Midgardians.

"We require speak," he says.

"I am afraid I cannot."

"I was not asking."

"Mind yourself, Thor. We are in public and in front of children." He glances at him, and Thor can sense the oncoming jibe. "I can arrange your carnal needs to be satisfied at another time. I know another mortal woman who has not just given birth who would be quite willing to-"

"Loki, save it." He turns him with a hand on the shoulder. "I know."

"My liege."

He looks up from his brother's impassive face to the man that has interrupted him, and he is stricken. It is as if he is looking in a mirror though there are slight differences between them. He is a pale imitation of who he is, the being he offers to Loki. "Is this a trick?" he asks, looking back at Loki who still remains unbothered.

Loki stares at him. "I told you that this was not the time to talk as I have arrangements to speak with someone else," he says, and he steps out of Thor's slack grasp toward... _him_.

He is _him_, the man who has taken from him what so rightfully belongs in his possession: Loki's trust, love, and almost his progeny.

But Thor knows what is rightfully his.

"How dare you return?" Thor asks. "You have given up the honor of existing."

Loki chuckles. "Oh, Thor, there is no need to be so dramatic."

"Dramatic? This is the man who has defiled and dishonored you!" He lifts his hand and remembers his leaving of Mjolnir, instead balling it into a fist, and prepares to end this Midgardian mage once and for all.

"Thor, it was a lie."

He lets his arm fall to his side, cocking his eyebrow at his brother.

"He isn't—whatever I am sure you were going to 'speak' with me about regarded a lie that Hloridi told," Loki says. "He lied fairly histrionically if I might say, but he is one for flair. He inherited that from his father."

Thor is not histron—

His father, their father. Thor is their father.

"Now, Thor, if you would please excuse Rögnvaldr and I for we have to speak. Do tell Jane Foster that I send my congratulations. I know the complications of childbirth." He touches the glowering man's shoulder and guides him down the opposite end of the hallway, leaving Thor to stand alone in front of the rows and rows of infants.

Each one of those children has parents, and vice-versa, their parents have children.

Thor has children.

Loki

He frowns as he considers Rögnvaldr's words. The immediate course of action a decade prior and completely selfishly would have been to go to Asgard and voice is non-fear of the All-Father, but his being is no longer the only at stake.

To confront Odin would be to admit that the twins are not only his but the Thorsons—which Thor himself has only just learned; yet another complication—the heirs to Asgard, and with that admission would normality disappear. Loki has never quite had normality, but his sons have a chance, which he is unwilling to give up just yet.

"May we assemble, my liege?" Loki chose assemble before the Avengers, 1000 years prior.

"Not now." He exhales. "Have the Avengers been called into meeting yet?"

"No, but the call is to come soon," Rögnvaldr says, "which is why it would be pertinent for reinforcement."

"I don't need reinforcement!"

Rögnvaldr waves his hand to produce to likenesses of his sons, who are currently wearing the clothes of the Asgardians according to the projection—how did Thor not figure it out sooner with their recklessness?—and gives Loki one of his defiant looks, ones that work quite well on the inferiors though Loki is not an inferior. "But the hallowed ones do."

They are reckless and not in control of their powers nor aware of the full extent just as Loki is not truly sure either. One wrong move would expose them to the All-Father's messenger, something that does not guarantee the end of their current lives though it increases the chances astronomically. Hermod's loyalties lie with the All-Father, his father.

Loki waves away the projection from his hands and turns to stare at the turned off Midgardian medicine machines. He can give his sons this version of normal if it is within his grasp. "We must not set off any indicators of suspicious activity," he says. "SHIELD is watching us."

"Have you discovered their intentions, my liege?"

A month has passed, and Loki remains at square one.

"No, but leave that to me. This? This is now your top priority." He stares straight into his eyes and sees no fear. He feels gratified that the main remains at his best even after his centuries of service. "They are your top priority."

One of his sons approaches in a sprint.

"We will finish our-"

Hloridi corporealizes in a twinkle of purple, catching himself in a one knee kneel. He looks up with an expression that makes Loki dread what is about the come out of his mouth. "I have been burdened with-"

"Father, Father, Father, Thor knows!" Loptr pants in the doorway. Such a pointless habit established to make them appear remotely Midgardian with remotely Midgardian stamina, but it has unfortunately stuck with him outside of Midgardian presence. "He made us—he made us lift Mjolnir!"

"Oh, hey, Rögnvaldr," Hloridi says as he brushes himself off, and Loki inwardly groans as he takes in their Asgardian garbs. "Didn't know you were here."

Rögnvaldr gives them both the Asgardian salute before bowing. "My princes."

Loptr crosses his arms. "I didn't mean to, Father! I didn't mean to!"

Loki regards him for a moment before he smells it on him: lightning. He opens his mouth to ask just what happened when he senses the incoming Avengers traversing the corridor outside, snapping his fingers once when Hloridi begins to start a session of "How Far Can I Push Rögnvaldr Before He Curses My Mouth Shut?"

"There you twerps are," Barton says as they enter in their usual formation, Thor absent. "Ha, still wearing your costumes."

"They are not costumes, Clint Barton!" Loptr shouts. "They are the clothes of our people, the Aesir! Does it bother you?"

"Loptr, silence."

"Who's this?" Dr. Banner asks, gesturing to Rögnvaldr. "And why does he look like Thor?"

"LOL."

Loki shoots a dark look at Hloridi who joins his brother in silence. He was not planning on elaborating on the resemblance a few dozen Midgardians in Scandinavia bear to one Thor Odinson for no one was supposed to make the connection, no one who would notice at least. Most are too mystified by the peak of Midgardian perfection to realize that they could possibly be looking at the god of thunder himself though they would be wrong but not far off.

His silence causes Steven to jump to the worst conclusion, pulling his shield from his back to hold it in front of him.

An irrational Midgardian man known for his inability to separate his "justice" and reality fits the archetype of a threat for the Lokeans, the reaction of his fellow Avengers to also take to a defensive stance only adding to the threat Rögnvaldr sees.

The air starts to thrum with old magic when Thor makes his appearance, the magic diffusing immediately.

"What is the issue?" he asks, and he meets Loki's eyes with a look that would make a younger version of Loki feel something akin to guilt. Instead, he rewards him with nothing but neutrality. "Has he proved himself a threat?"

"Who is he?"

"Why does he look like you?"

Loki rolls his eyes at their simplemindedness. "He is not a threat to you unless you prove yourself a threat to me or my sons," he replies. "That is all you need to know."

"Who are you to tell us what we can know?" Barton asks, forever the scrappy boy. It makes sense that Hloridi does like him the most with their scrappiness and inability to see when conflict in unneeded.

"Hloridi, Loptr, Jane wishes to meet you," Thor says. "She also wishes to introduce you to her son."

"Oh, it's a boy," Tony says. "Is he cute?"

"Verily." Thor turns an authoritative look on the nearest to him: Loptr, and Loki's hackles rise at this demonstration of authority he has only just acquired. He cannot think he will waltz into their lives and take upon the role as the other parent when Loki has done quite fine without him, will do so again when Thor proves himself to truly be an Avenger. "Come."

Loki steps forward and touches Hloridi's shoulder, grip loose enough for him to break away. He will not make him do something he doesn't want to do if it comes to it. "Jane will wish to rest," he says. "Childbirth is taxing on the body, and she is just a Midgardian woman."

"She is also very resilient as you have proven yourself to be." In his eyes is a silent anger directed at Loki of course. "Hloridi and Loptr would do good to meet her, which they will do tonight. You two come. Now."

He grits his teeth. Thor is far too persistent, has always been far too persistent for his own good.

Hloridi whines, and Loki's teeth grit together harder. "You're not lying about it being cute, right? I'm not going if it's not-"

Thor cuts him off. "Hloridi."

"Oh, used the dad voice," Clint says. Wrong as Loki is the only one who can use the "dad" voice.

"As I am authorized to," he replies, "though I have just discovered this."

How dare he try to blame Loki for this as if Loki made an effort to hide the information that was literally right in his face every day for the past few weeks? Thor has always had a problem with accepting his own blame though he was always so eager to try to take it for Loki.

Loptr shrugs and drags his feet out into the hallway, turning around to beckon for Hloridi to follow.

Hloridi leaves his grasp, and Loki nearly explodes every single object in the room.

A hand touches his shoulder. "My liege."

"Do not"—he steps away—"touch me."

Thor watches his—Loki's! They were his first—sons with a small smile before he turns to Loki, and it completely disappears. "Change them into their Midgardian clothes."

"How dare you-?" He snaps his fingers hard, and they are once again normal boys. "Later, we will talk later."

"I know."

For perhaps the trillionth time in his existence, he thinks of reasons as to why he is in love with a being like him, the embodiment of many things Loki hates but also more things that Loki could almost say he loves. A variant of the thought crosses his mind when Hloridi decides that his brother will look good with purple hair or when Loptr sticks his fingers into a disassembled electrical socket to test out his abilities. Both versions always end the same with Loki feeling nearly powerless though he holds more power than 99% of the universe in one atom of his body.

"So, going to tell us your name?" Tony asks.

"_My liege, shall I-?"_

_"Yes, set the operation into motion."_

_"Very well, my liege_._"_

Rögnvaldr teleports from the room.

"Wow, guess they don't teach manners wherever he's from. Didn't answer my question or introduce himself."

His sons will get the lives they deserve.

Loki— the god of mischief, the liar, the father, the sorcerer, the teacher, the worshipped, the hated, the lover—will see to it himself.

* * *

**A/N**: Next chapter: find out who tf those dudes really are and what this operation is. Find out why Rognvaldr looks like Thor. Find out what Thor's thinking. Find out why Hermod is there. We're finding out sh*t!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Loki's kind of creepy but well-intentioned, right?

* * *

Chapter 8: Magical Asgardian Cloning Thor

Hloridi makes it a point to move in front of Thor to open the door to Jane's room and shoots a look of triumph at him as he and Loptr enter though Thor only responds with a thanks and a poor attempt at a grateful smile.

Hloridi's similarity to Loki doesn't stop with his appearance, surfacing in the tiny things he does just to make Thor's life harder. Even before Thor realized, he recognized the streak in himself as well, much stronger than Loki's own need to irritate others because Thor may not be the god of mischief, but he can enjoy bothering others, especially those he enjoys.

He ruffles a hand over Hloridi and Loptr's heads, earning two exclamations of him needing to keep his hands away from their hair. Now that can be attributed to their other parent for Thor does not care about such trivialities.

"Oh, it's a baby!" Hloridi shouts, gesturing to the infant swaddled in blue Jane holds.

Keith's brow furrows as he looks at the two of them. "Wow, J, they look so much like a perfect mix of their fathers. A little Thor here, a little Loki there. You were right."

"Keith…" Jane offers him an apologetic look that he is not owed for his own blindness is to blame here, not the observational skills that everyone else had when he was far too busy with his own distrusting—rightfully so—thoughts regarding Loki's past trysts.

Perhaps he should have looked to himself and his own relationship with Loki to see the truth that has been in front of him the entire time. It is a truth that Loki should have felt compelled to tell him though Loki is far too caught up in his attempts at smoke and mirrors to offer a clear explanation.

He once said that Loki doesn't have a sincere bone in his body. It was the truth.

"Who are you?" Hloridi asks. "Why are you in here?"

Loptr gets an excited look about him, and Thor would smile if his being were not filled with such dread for what he has recently learned. He is much like Thor in the regard of his excitability unlike his brother who claims aloofness at any chance. "Lori, do you know what this means?"

"No, but who are—oh!" Hloridi pumps his fist. "This is great. Phew, i thought i was going to have another annoying person around all of the time or something. Lop is enough."

"Ditto to you, bro."

Thor sits down in a chair near the window, watching the rain out of the corner of his eye, and sighs as he leans his head on his hand, feeling more drained than he has in ages.

Loptr goes to the side of the bed and leans over Jane.

"Loptr," Thor warns.

"Thor, he's fine," Jane replies with one of her dazzling smiles, but Thor isn't brightened as usual. "His name is James, far more common than Loptr or-"

"Hloridi," Hloridi says, attempting to appear uninterested as he looks at James, but Thor knows better. "So, how long have you two been married or whatever?"

"Three years but we've been together for eight," Keith replies. "I know it doesn't seem that long for you Asgardians, but it's like forever to us."

"We haven't even been to Asgard," Hloridi says.

"James, you're Midgardian and all, but you could still hang with us," Loptr says, and Jane laughs. "I have lots of Midgardian friends. Actually, 95% of my friends are Midgardians."

Thor straightens up and makes a note to ask him of these 5% non-Midgardian friends he holds. If he is aware of dangerous otherworldly people, Thor's job is to dispose of them before they cause harm to anyone or to them, friend or not.

"95% of your friends are girls."

"So, 20% of your friends were Cooper like two years ago."

Thor groans as he knows that everything involving Cooper Davis leads to conflict which he is not in the mood for at all. He only wishes to find some peace before he talks to Loki which he will need all of the patience in the world for with how his brother has reacted so far.

"Well-"

He intervenes before things can escalate. "Silence."

His… sons submit wordlessly, leaving on James' babbles to be heard until Darcy enters the room with a high squeal that Thor tunes out as he's learned to in her company when she is conscious.

"Oh my god, you two are so cute!" She beams at Loptr and Hloridi. "Why are you just now in my life?"

Hloridi basks in the attention while Loptr remains engrossed by James. "The same could be said for you... Darcy Lewis."

"Wow, you know my name? Wait, no, Aunt Darcy, call me Aunt Darcy. Just—oh my god, hug me now," she says, and they both do though Loptr seems very reluctant. "This is so weird. It's like hugging your brother, Thor, and hugging you but like in miniature version. Well, I've never hugged Loki since he's not into that, but I imagine it's like this."

"Father gives great hugs though I'm not sure he would be so open to give you a hug…" Hloridi leans down into Darcy's breasts, and Thor runs a hand down his face as he feels slight amusement at his shameless ways. "Now me? I love hugs. I love hugging you already. Hey, Lop, go find someone else to hug."

"Fine! I'll hug Far, and you know how great his hugs are! Oh wait you don't because you're lame!"

"Wait, I can hug all of the children! Kid, wait, you don't have to-"

Thor suddenly has a lap full of Loptr and arms around his neck, holding onto his with surprising strength. He reciprocates after a few seconds of confusion and allows himself to soak in the hug of his son.

Ten years of time have been lost wherein Thor could have been hugging them and preventing arguments over Cooper Davis, and no, it is not Thor's fault as Jane originally said when he first told her of his new "nephews." This is Loki's fault, and for this, keeping Thor's first and only two children from him and not even notifying Thor of their existence, he cannot imagine ever forgiving him.

He may make claims of their father not giving him the love he deserved, but Thor did not even have the opportunity to give _their_ sons his love because of Loki's stupid need to only think of his own well-being while claiming the same of others. His hypocrisy this time is nothing to taunt him about for nothing will change that Thor has lost 10 Midgardian years of which included the milestones that will never be crossed again.

Crawling, walking, and running Thor has been deprived of witnessing.

Sparing, shielding, and sword fighting he was not given the chance to teach.

Loptr goes to move away from Thor, and he lets him, standing up himself.

Thor has a talk to have.

"Can I keep calling you T-Unit?" Hloridi asks, his chin on Darcy's shoulder.

"No," he replies, opening the door, "I enjoy Far."

"KKZ, Far."

"Hey, Thor, if you're passing the cafeteria, could you stop and-?" The door cuts off Darcy's words.

Scheming, treachery, stabbing, and so many other crimes Loki has committed against Thor only for Thor to forgive him because he loves him, loves him more than most though in a far different way than he loves those two boys he has had the pleasure and enjoyment to know. He has forgiven him because love has always overcome any of the temporary hatred he feels for his brother when he feels compelled to do wrong against those Thor also cares for.

He finds Loki staring out into the night as he sits in an alcove on the opposite end of the hospital, and he wastes no time on admiring the sight, grabbing him by the arm and hauling him to his feet with satisfying ease.

"What could you want now?"

"We are to talk," Thor says. He shoves Loki against the wall, arms bracketing his shoulders. "You owe me more than this, but now this will do."

"Where should we start, Thor? The part where you take upon a position of authority in my children's lives because you suddenly open your eyes and realize what has been in front of you this entire time—yes, Thor, I made no attempt to keep the truth from you!—or you moved on in 10 Midgardian years?"

He has no clue what Loki is talking about, but he knows what he wishes to talk about himself. "Why did you not tell me? Why did you leave?"

"I did what had to be done, Thor!" Loki shouts, his composure frustratingly in place. "I have been doing my job for almost 11 years, giving my children the lives they deserve while you do as you please with who you please."

"You have gall accusing me of such things when I had every reason to doubt their parentage with the way you acted before you left! There are many things I have forgiven you for, Loki, but this? The fact that you have done this to me and to _our_ children is the one thing I cannot forgive you for," he says.

"I don't require your forgiveness for this, Thor, for what I had to do to protect our children. If I was forced to make that decision again, I would, Thor. I do not regret saving the lives of my unborn children. They are one of the only things I will never, ever regret!

"I never thought you to be so selfish to think of your own needs above those of innocents, Thor. Yes, innocents because I was the one who kept them from you all of these years. If you weren't so bent on this being some blow to the ego of the mighty Thor, you would see that!"

He bares his teeth. "They were never taught by their father to throw a ball."

"I think you and every one of your students are more than aware that my sons can throw a ball, and also, I thought we were over the fact that I am not a 'maiden' and have been for thousands of years."

"That is not the point, Loki!"

"Then what is?" Loki steps into his space, for once a smirk not tugging at the corners of his lips. "Why do you care?"

"They are my sons, Loki! They are mine." He inhales. "I love them."

"Well, that warms my heart ever so much to know that you care about our children, but it doesn't change what I did nor does it make me want to," he replies. "I did what had to be done Thor. I made the decision for a reason."

He stares at Loki, waiting for the show of his lying, an intimidating unwavering gaze, a mischievous curve of his mouth, or his attempt at vulnerable, the latter of which Thor has fallen for more times than he can count. However, nothing comes save for the slight parting of his lips and flare of his nostrils as he inhales unneeded air.

A sight of sincerity that stirs something deep within Thor, the part that made him demand Loki that he return to their home on that mountain, made him snap at Loki's demonstration of madness and physically retaliate.

Loki's eyebrow cocks, and Thor snaps again though in a way where he doesn't want to harm Loki. He wants him to not just hurt, but to feel just how much Thor truly loves him.

Loki gasps when Thor pins him harder against the wall, chest pressed against chest. So strong yet so fragile; weaker than Thor but more powerful than anyone else.

Combined, they would-

They _have_ Loptr and Hloridi.

Together, they made new life unlike any of the existing forms, perfect in so many ways but also flawed in ways both endearing and irritating, much like the one in front of him, and Thor has only just discovered this because of the one who is staring at him with the beginnings of the sick satisfaction he derives from seeing Thor in such pain.

He never thought Loki was this sadistic, especially with his claims of being above all of the warriors of their home. Truly, he is of Asgard whether he sees so or not.

Thor takes the stubborn chin in his grasp, staring into Loki's narrowed slits. "I am their father, and I will do as I should have been able to do for all of this lost time," he says. "If you dare try to leave again, I cannot guarantee I will be so tolerant."

"I don't want your mercy."

"You will need it."

"I don't need anything from you, Thor. The children you so claim to love, they need you now, but one wrong move and I will-"

"What? You will do nothing, Loki, as you have done before," he replies. "You continue to hurt me, but this time you have succeeded in a way I never expected of you. I assume that perhaps your love for me would change things as they did before you left, but I was wrong as I have always been about you."

"What does that mean? Are you going to kill me, Thor, as you have threatened time and time again?" Loki chuckles. "You ask why I left when you should have enough observational skills to see the reason right in front of your face like you didn't see the fact you wanted to be true. You wanted them to be yours, yes? Well, now you know, so what will you do? How will you make up for the time I have so selfishly stolen from you?"

He drops his hand from Loki's chin. He's baiting him, but Thor will not fall victim to his scheme. A level head is what he must have when facing the biggest trickster to have ever existed. "I intend to make use of the time I now have," he says, "as their father whether you like it or not."

"It's not my decision, Thor. Do you not recall a lie that was told?"

Hloridi may not be the god of truth as he desires to be, but that changes nothing. He knows enough of the boy to discern his own apprehension, and his own fears regarding this situation as any boy, Asgardian or not, would.

"He has inherited more than your looks, Loki, but I care not. They have taken to me already, and if that is not okay with you, that matters not." He pins Loki to the wall by the shoulder and smiles. "Over ten years you have kept them away from me. I have an eternity remaining to make up for this lost time, and I will be starting as soon as possible. No time will be lost."

Loki's eyes widen. "This isn't Asgard, Thor! You are not revered as a prince nor worshipped for your stupidity! You will not-"

"You will cooperate, Loki! Over the millennia, you have tested my patience, and I can only be pushed so far, especially now! One attempt to stop me and you will regret it."

"What will you do, Thor? Will you take them away from me?" he asks, and Thor is almost affronted that Loki would think so low of him, would think he would sink to his level and do something as atrocious as that.

"No," he replies, "but I have another idea in mind that is far, far worse."

Something like shock blossoms in Loki's eyes of which Thor will one day be proud of, Loki considered one to never be shocked nor taken off guard. It is only justice that what he does unto others be done unto him tenfold.

"Hey, Mischief and Thor, found you two."

He holds Loki's eyes, communicating just how serious he is. This is not the time for jesting.

"Um, hey, guys, going to fight or something?"

He steps away from Loki with an exhale.

"Get away from me!" A sprinting Loptr is stilled by a hand on his shoulder, eyes wide as he stares up at Thor. "Far, Father, Lori, he—he has a spider, and he, he tried to put it on me!"

"Ha, ha, this is what you get! Cooper was only 15% my friend!"

Loptr shrieks and attempts to move behind his back, but Thor's grip on his shoulder maneuvers him to his left while Hloridi sidles up to his right side with a large green tarantula in hand, one that would send a younger Thor screaming if a younger Loki were the one wielding it.

His team mates watch with amusement and horror.

"My friends, would you like to see Keith and Jane's son James?"

"LOL, look at Father's face!"

Loki blinks rapidly, one brow slightly cocked, and Thor offers him a smile which is not returned at all. "Yes, let's see the spawn of Jane Foster and her fellow Midgardian mate then, shall we?" He brushes past Thor and whispers, "I hate you."

"Yes, the plan worked!" Loptr shouts.

"Now onto Phase Red!"

"You two know that plans don't really work when you shout that they have, right? Now, we all want to know about this plan, so spill," Clint says, but Hloridi steps forth with his spider, and he lets out a shriek as he jumps behind Natasha.

"Aw, come on. Loki Jr. doesn't bite."

Thor is possibly relieved when his suggestion that he rid of the spider is heeded. Hloridi did not get that affinity from him.

Loki

Jane Foster's son is sufficiently high on the scale of adorability though Loki does take high offense to the fact that the child regurgitates on him—though he does it on Tony Stark as well, and Loki is very satisfied—and hands him off without hesitation. The fact that he can spell the mess away with one thought is not the point though he is somewhat well-versed in cleaning spells after the twins' infancy. He simply doesn't want Midgardian baby fluids on him.

"Father, I think he liked you," Loptr says as he walks through the hospital exit in a spin. "I know I liked you when I was a baby. I loved throwing up on you."

"That truly warms my heart," he replies, and for that, he takes Loptr's hand, ignoring his protests that he is old enough to care for himself. When Loptr starts to elaborate on the things that he can do, Loki reminds him of the non-Midgardian component in each skill and what that means, slowed growth upon 15 where he will reach temporary century-long adolescence.

"I have four years until then, Father, so ha! I have grown an inch in this month, so I will be way taller than Far by then."

Thor gives a chuckle as Loki grits his teeth. "Far," yet another reminder that Loki is no longer the sole figure of parental authority in their lives for Thor has gotten some sense and seen the truth that has been there for a month. He says that Loki has no choice but to allow him into their lives, which Loki scoffs at because ten plus years have gone by without any attempts at contact from him. Loki was not explicitly hiding, was he?

"I'll be taller than you I bet," Hloridi says, skipping ahead. "Darcy, don't you think so?"

Darcy Lewis, the only tolerable Midgardian Thor kept the company of during his short stint of exile, laughs, giving Loki the closest thing to a look of knowing a Midgardian could possibly give with their limited knowledge. "Sure, kiddo."

"Whatever, Darcy Lewis," Loptr says. "You only like Hloridi because he likes your boobs."

Loki sends him a sharp look for his crassness though he does agree wholeheartedly. "You take after your Far."

"Oh, snap!" Tony shouts.

He adjusts his eyeglasses as he waits for the light to turn green.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hloridi and Thor both ask.

"He's calling you perverts," the widow says. "Not saying whether I agree or disagree."

"Psh, Father is totes wrong," Hloridi says, and Thor makes a sound of agreement though Loki still stands by his statement, especially with Thor and the anecdotal evidence Loki possesses regarding him and his own preferences and experiences.

The light changes, and Loki pulls Loptr alongside him.

"Father, if I asked you a question, would you or would you not take give me a speechlessness curse?"

Hloridi moves in front of them, walking the sidewalk backward and avoiding the other early-morning denizens narrowly. "Oh my god, Father, since we're in the west-"

"No."

"Hloridi, what were you going to ask?"

Very, very barely does Loki maintain his control and not send stinging hexes in Thor's direction, and his son's hand in his is one of the major reasons for his refraining of hurting Thor as he is irritating him with his intrusiveness.

Thor's domineering personality is only a benefit on the battlefield, and Loki and his sons' lives are not the battlefield nor does he intend to let them to become.

Steven watches Loki as he enters the eatery with a self-righteous look on his face as if he was right, which he was not. Loki didn't have to tell Thor anything for he found out with his own two eyes and brain.

Hloridi wears an anxious expression as he sits down between Clint and Thor. "I, um, it doesn't matter."

Thor sends him a challenging look, and Loki is the one who always causes conflict. Always. "Ask your question."

"Thor…" Steven starts.

"Okay, okay, we're in New freaking Mexico, like the desert or whatever, so we should just go to California. Soak up some sun and do Summery things."

"The answer is still no, Hloridi."

"Yeah, let's go to New York City!"

"The answer is no for you as well."

"Why not?" Thor asks. "What responsibilities do they have? They are children, and school does not resume until Tuesday."

At this opportunity to show Thor just what he claims Loki has taken from him, Loki suppresses a smile for the sake of the two children watching who will know far too well of Loki's intentions, which he can admit are not the purist, but Thor has earned this with his need to blame and blame and blame instead of seek out the true explanation like he once did.

He asserts to have never given up on Loki, but Loki knows far better than that.

"Loptr and five of his friends are putting on a display of their acrobatic talents at the talent show in two weeks, which requires both time to choreograph the dance—not for him as we both know how talented _our_ son is—and to put together the theatrics that they desire. At 2:00, I have to retrieve his friends. You are likely unaware, but he is also very adept with drums, which he plays for the local symphony. Tonight there is a practice at 8:00 for Friday's showcase.

"At noon, Hloridi and Christian are going to skateboard at a local vintage park. Also, he, Christian, Dana, and Andrew are going to Andrew's at 3:15, and I have to get all four of them at 9:00." He accepts his sons' food with a thanks and sets their plates in front of them with a command to "eat."

Thor opens his mouth to speak, but Loki cuts him off with a raised hand.

"Tonight, the children are sleeping over and holding some type of 'all-nighter' where Albert insists upon baking a plethora of healthy baked goods for the children. I have to take Hloridi's sycophants home because Hloridi has Jiu Jitsu at 5:45. Tomorrow at noon, the ten of them are going to see _Man of Steel 3,_ and we are going to lunch afterward. At 11:50, Hloridi and Andrew as well as Loptr, Dylan, and Miranda are all going to 'stake out' a video game release"

"Wow, that's cray," Darcy says. "A lot of stuff you're doing, super dad."

Thor beams, and Loki nearly screams. "Then I assume that Clint and I are not strictly disbarred from attending this movie along with them?"

Steven immediately points out the suspiciousness of Thor and Clint being present from an outsider's point of view, and Loki is not only saved the hassle of explaining to eight children that he is not just Hloridi and Loptr's father but also Loki, the god of mischief and the interdimensional "war criminal" but of Thor's presence being thrust upon him.

Perhaps he should be partially grateful toward the Avengers for not bringing the conversation around to the fact that Thor is now aware of what was obvious to everyone else though their continuous puns about his fatherhood and employment and titles as a god grows tiring by the time "Loki Blackboard Tongue" is said.

Hloridi takes far too much pleasure in the goodbye he receives from Darcy though this is offset by Loptr's comment of "So, you're into _other_ girls too then" and the snickers that follow. He conjures his tarantula on Loptr's head, and Loki and Thor both exchange a look before waiting a few moments to finally calm down a hysterical Loptr.

When the yelling between them becomes unbearable after three seconds, Loki snaps, and they slump to the ground, the nearest Avengers catching them before they land on the tarmac though they would be unscathed from the fall.

Thor turns a dark look on him, having been a victim of his sleeping charms far too often. It was not as if he wasn't deserving of the dozens of times.

"Why are you not freaking out right now?" Clint demands as he goes to take Hloridi's pulse. "These are your kids."

Loki rolls his eyes. "They will be fine. I have simply relieved you all of the annoyance of their bickering, so you should thank me."

Dr. Banner turns around on the stairs. "Thank you."

Upon landing back in Limestone, Thor prompts Loki to rouse them, so he does with a sigh, not in any mood to be commanded by Thor but neither in a mood to get into another confrontation with him after the one earlier. When Thor does "inform" him that he is going to be making an appearance after he stops at the Avengers' home, Loki does put up an argument because he doesn't have time for Thor's attempt to make up for supposedly stolen time.

"Monday, their schedule is fairly free. Then, you can insert yourself into their lives."

Thor pinches the bridge of his nose. "You are making this more complicated than it needs to be."

"That's me, Thor, always making this so complex and complicated."

"Dads, please stop arguing," Hloridi says, sliding his headphones down. "To quote the wonderful goddess Gwen Stefani, 'Don't Speak.'"

Everyone laughs including Thor though Loki does not see the comedy in him quoting Gwen Stefani nor the fact that he addressed them as "dads."

Thor claps Hloridi on the shoulder, Hloridi leaning away. "You are right, my son."

My son?

"It is 10:45, Hloridi, and you are a terrible manager of time." Loki smirks. "My mistake, I would not want to shorten your—what is that colloquialism you and your sycophants call it?—oh yes, 'swag time.'"

"Father!"

"And that is why Lori is my fave." Clint fist bumps him. "See you rug rats in a few."

He declines the captain's offer to drop them off since they are along the way though Loki is quite aware of the geography of the area and the fact that the Avengers' home is located over four miles from his own, and teleports them instead.

He pinches the bridge of his nose as he stands in the foyer.

All of the relative peace in his life has been destroyed.

_Thor exits the wooden cabin, lacing his breeches up as he walks with the glaze of far too much ale in his eyes. Disgusting, primal, carnal, and a mindless oaf who thinks not of anything but his own needs._

_Loki breaks away from the shadows of the great wood, the brush rustling ever so slightly under his boots. He moves stealthily across the grass, passing his brother who doesn't spare him a second glance for the night conceals him from Thor's eyes. _

_3000 years of acting as his shadow have trained Loki well though it does not take very much effort with Thor's lack of observance._

_"Heimdall!" He wails like a brute toward the sky, and how anyone could think nothing of him but a primitive beast who follows his basic instincts—fight, bed, fight—and not fit at all for a future leader is beyond Loki. _

_Loki will rectify this in time for 2000 years remain until the realms are subjected to the whims of his idiot brother._

_The bundle underneath his cloak stirs, the blue eyes staring up at him from beneath the unruly tufts of blond. Now he will be a king fit for Asgard, the king that Thor will never be._

_The woman clutches the furs to her when she answers the door, eyes trying and failing to adjust to the darkness surrounding him. "Yes?"_

_He does a once over of her and takes in the milky skin covered in a sheen of sweat and the black clinging to her moist forehead. She is beautiful, a sight even for the gods to behold._

_Well, one god has._

_He pushes the rage to a place for later, taking pieces to motivate him into giving this woman his most precious creation yet, products of years and years of casting and thousands of thoughts. _

_With his exhale, her green eyes dull. "I am Loki of Asgard, one of the most powerful mages in the nine realms. I have chosen you to receive another _gift_ from the gods." He removes the swaddled babe from his cloak and holds it in the candlelight of her cabin, bright blue sparkling brilliantly. "The seed inside of you has quickened, and from this a child was produced. You are to raise this child, a god."_

_She continues her dull stare, slightly inclining her head. "A god."_

_"Yes, the future king of Asgard," he replies. "You will raise him to his full potential; give him the love that he deserves." That Loki has not been given. "You will teach him, and I will offer my guidance. Am I understood?"_

_"Yes-"_

_"-my liege."_

_"Yes, my liege. You are understood."_

_He looks at the babe and sees the flash of green across his eyes. "You have earned this for your services to the kingdom," he says. "This is what you deserve for fuck—lying with the crown prince."_

_She is merely a sharp-eyed girl who attracted the attentions of the brutish prince who cannot keep his cock in his pants or fight the wandering eye though he belongs to no one. She should be quite adept with raising this prince._

_"You will care for _your_ child, and you will protect him with your life. Humble him but do not let him forget that he is of a god."_

_She takes his creation with gentle hands and stares at him with dulled wonder. "Yes, my liege."_

_"His name is Thordr," he says, and he takes a step from the cabin. "I will return in time."_

Thor

"Come in," he says at a soft knock on the door, peering away from the clothes hung inside the closet to nod Natasha an acknowledgement. He sends her another glance which spells out his own helplessness in anything regarding Midgardian clothing selection though he is not quite skilled with Asgardian clothes either even after his 5000 years of existence, and she comes and dismisses him from his place with a sigh.

"You should be paying me for this," she says as Thor takes a seat on his bed. "You lived in a golden palace for Christ's sake. You can afford it."

He chuckles. "I could arrange for your guns to be cast in gold."

Natasha raises a sweater she gifted him last Christmas above her head. "Hm, I have nice taste," she says before proceeding to replace it on the rack. She is a woman of few words to those who have not been in her company for very long, but in moments such as now when she silently deliberates, she is as mysterious to Thor as she is to the general public. "So, you know now."

He watches her murmur under his breath as she pulls shirt sleeves out and drops them. "Yes," he replies, "I do."

"How does it… make you feel?"

Relieved is the first word that comes to thought though he does not voice it because he would have to explain the reason why he is relieved, something he is not in the mood to go into. He wishes to keep his disposition stable before he makes the journey to Loki's home where he will need all of the control of his emotions he can muster.

"Ecstatic."

"That's how I know you're an alien," Natasha says. "With your brother and your history, any human would think they're lives are completely fucked, but you, you're actually happy. I guess that's a part of you and you brother's dysfunctional relationship, huh?"

"Yes, our relationship is quite dysfunctional though I hope that will be remedied with time."

"5000 Asgardian years…" She drops a blue flannel shirt onto the bed beside him. "That's like… how many Midgardian years?"

"200,000."

"Jeez, you guys are old."

"Time passes very differently on Asgard."

"I guess it does since Loki hasn't seemed to have changed in those 5000 years, right?"

Thor's eyes narrow. "All of us have undergone changes within our lifetimes just as you Midgardians do."

"I understand that, Thor, but Loki's always been… unpredictable, right? If that hasn't changed in 200,000 years of our time"—she adds a pair of jeans to the bed—"I doubt that you'll be able to do much in another 200,000 years."

He is unsure of where she is leading this topic, but he has a great feeling he is not going to like it.

"Thor, some things are consistent throughout time, happening time and time again without failed, and I—Loki is one of those things that hasn't really changed. In the myths, he was seen as tricky and unpredictable, and those were written a thousand years ago, which is like the equivalent of someone writing an autobiography on an old man and seeing that nothing has changed since his childhood. In fact, it's gotten a lot worse, the unpredictability."

He takes a deep breath. "You believe that Loki is still prone to… leave."

After the words he exchanged with his brother, he was more than sure that Loki would not dare test him again with the new variables of their children who Thor is not willing to give up even if he loses his remaining thousands of years of life fighting. With Loki, it is hard to see whether you have gotten through to him with how tightly he guards his emotions, but Thor has known him his entire life, and he—he has proven himself to be unpredictable in several regards repeatedly.

"I know you want things to be different this time, and I believe they can be. After you came from another world—realm and Bruce turned into the hulk, I believed nothing was truly impossible." Natasha turns away from the closet to face him. "But Thor, only around ten years have passed since Loki last disappeared from the face of the—from everywhere, a 20,000th of his life. I wouldn't… push if I were you."

"You seem to misinterpret my actions as simply pushing," he replies. "The only way to get through to Loki is to push, and with our sons in existence, he has undergone drastic changes in a matter of a mere fraction of his life." He stands and offers her a smile. "I understand your concern, but the only thing to be concerned about is what this discovery means in the grand design. I have ahold of my brother quite well."

She stops short of the threshold. "Remember, Thor, we're here for a reason, and if he proves you wrong, you have to be ready."

Yes, he points are all valid, and Thor would be naïve to assume that getting ahold of Loki will be easy, but she also makes incorrect assumptions of her own regarding his brother and the relationship Thor has with him. A woman of brilliance she may be, but the affairs of gods will never be truly comprehensible to her.

Such a fact is proven shortly after Thor readies to leave, Steven bursting into his room to tell him that his youngest brother Hermod has called them to the SHIELD headquarters.

He sighs and makes a dreaded call to inform Loki of his new plans, heart sinking when his brother's response is brisk, cold, and curt. He can almost hear the hint of knowing as if Loki expected this and nearly smashes the Adamantium phone.

"Did you know your brother was even coming?" Steven asks once they reach the headquarters, Thor leading the way with curiosity moving him.

"No," he replies, "I did not."

He is only contacted when he is needed for diplomatic reasons or by his mother when she feels as though he is neglecting her for the Midgardians though his friends and Sif do make occasional visits. Other than that, he is left to his own duties.

The doors open to the conference room where Hermod sits at the head of the table, his perpetual grin in place. "Brother Thor and his Midgardian crime-fighting friends! It is such a joy to see you!"

"Oh yeah, the fast one," Tony says. "Considered the name 'flashgardian' yet? It's catchy, cool, and informative. Could start some boy band with Parker."

"Tony Stark is still as funny as I remember. Brother Thor, I like your shirt. You should tell me where you got it."

"What? An Asgardian that likes our clothes?" Clint mocks shock. "Wow, no way. Thought you guys were too bent on being superior to give flannel a try. Hermod, right? Well, you're still cool."

Steven crosses his arms. "Is there something we should be worried about?"

"Actually, no, Captain Rogers," Hermod replies, "I have come to inform my brother of something verily important regarding him and perhaps an unseen product of some of his past dalliances on Midgard."

Thor's brow furrows. Loki's earlier quip of him being a pervert was not correct in most senses for Thor is not the boy he once was who fell into bed beside maidens with black hair and green eyes to stave the unrequited and forbidden feelings he had grown to harvest for another. Perhaps his recklessness was unneeded, but what could have resulted from these excursions was always prevented with his own methods taught by his brother during their youth to prevent the similar thing from happening to him.

Well, it appears that Loki failed in that after the thousands of possible times.

Another has as well?

"Um, another kid then?" Tony asks.

"'Another?' Sorry, Tony Stark, but my brother has no previously known children though it breaks poor mother's heart."

"Get along with it, Hermod."

"Father has sensed two new energies on Midgard that contain his own ancient energies. Congrats, Brother Thor, one of our brothers has bastard children. Perhaps it is even you!"

Clint sidles up to him and whispers into his hear, "Wait, would they be bastards, or are you two secretly married…?"

"No, we are not in the eyes of Asgardian law."

"Oh, okay."

Banner cocks an eyebrow beside him. "Not in Asgardian law then, hm? Interesting."

Hermod stands. "Father has come to believe that they have tapped into their mystical powers, which I am sure you know where that leads. We have enough problems with people misusing their powers."

"Have you guys even found Loki yet?" Tony asks, and Thor almost glares at him before he realizes what his friend is doing. A man of vast intelligence and sleuthing skills that almost rival that of his brother.

"I am afraid not, Tony Stark. Where ever he is, the spells that he is casting are even far too strong for the All-Father to sense behind them. On the topic of our missing in universe brother, have you humans at SHIELD found any trace of him?"

"No," Steven says. "No, we haven't."

"Hm, how unfortunate. Loki was always one of my favorite brothers." Hermod flashes Thor a smile, and he rolls his eyes. "The All-Father would like for SHIELD to assist us in our search for the new Asgardians, so what does SHIELD say to that?"

Perhaps if Thor were not aware of the truth, he would be willing to help, but it does not sit right as if he has something to be worried about.

Coulson emerges from a doorway. Was he there the entire time? "SHIELD says 'sorry but no.' We only concern ourselves with what could pose a threat to the security of our country, so if we find anything out about your brother, you will be the first to know. Now these kids? You're on your own for that unless they plan on taking over the world."

Tony cackles into his coffee mug while Thor remains as unamused as he was when Loptr first cracked the joke. His brother's failed invasion of earth is no laughing matter, especially for those involved though Tony seems to have gotten through his issues of anxiety to find the comedy deep inside of the joke.

"Ah, I supposed Father will be disappointed though your past cooperation does protect you now," Hermod says. "Brother Thor, it was nice to see you, and also, Mother states her pride for the profession you have chosen here in Midgard. She believes that your warrior's mind is seasoned enough, and now it is time for you to focus on the paternal side of things. When you return, she expects you to come baring something warm and small. Beam me up, Heimdall!"

His brother disappears in a rainbow of the Bifrost, a circle of runes upon the previously spotless floor.

"Maintenance will have to take care of that," Agent Coulson says.

Banner frowns. "You lied."

"Here at SHIELD, you know that it is our top priority to secure the earth first and foremost. I'm sorry, Thor, but Asgard's needs are secondary. If we were to tell Odin that Loki Is here, he would come and take him back, only to leave him to escape again though without wasting time on establishing a life, skipping right to the part where he murders innocent people again. If we must lie, we will lie.

"Now, Thor." Coulson turns to him with a smile. "Congratulations on the kids. It might have taken you a while, but you now know, so I assume you will stop them from ever taking over the world. The one with the better control of the lightning? You might want to teach him to control that since the weather satellites have been getting random surges of lighting around the country, so it's not long before someone goes investigating and ends up a pile of lightning-struck ash."

"This changes things, doesn't it?" Steven asks.

"You all still have a goal, and that is to find out what he is planning," he replies.

Natasha adds, "Now we just have to be mindful of the twerps. They're innocent even if they're annoying."

"Yes which brings us to the next point of why you've all been called here beside Hermod's surprise visit. In the event that your brother was to become incapacitated, the next guardian would be a Danish man by the name of Rögnvaldr Spakason."

"Oh, I think that's the guy who looks like Thor." Tony nods. "Looked almost exactly like him."

"Interesting. Did any of you acquire any genetic-?"

"Well, um…" Bruce summons a projection into his hand. "I'm working on it. The guy's DNA isn't exactly human or very easy to work with."

"You do that, Bruce, but in the meantime, Thor, let's discuss parental rights," Coulson says. "SHIELD may not concern themselves with the affairs of Asgard, but we do care about our Avengers, believe it or not. We can't have you wasting time that could be spent with your children, can we?"

Natasha sighs. "Phil, remember who the other parent is."

"Yes, Natasha's right," Steven says, "but I have to disagree. Family is first when the world isn't at stake."

Thor sends a grateful look in Steven's direction for the man has always understood Thor's own struggles, especially since the occurrence with the Winter Soldier.

"Then let's get to it." Coulson grins. "Wait, I almost forgot to tell you that you are all now granted temporary leave from your daily duties with SHIELD because you've been employed at Maine Science and Math to fill in the five new classes that have been added to the school curriculum."

Tony's mug shatters on the ground. "That's it," he says. "I quit. The Avengers? I quit. Get Pym to replace me."

"You teach an engineering class, Stark."

He drops his upraised hands, and Thor silently cheers at what is to come out of his mouth. "Kids are freaking lucky I like them."

"This meeting is dismissed because you all have a 'curriculum meeting' at Professor Laufeyson's house."

"Wait, yep, I quit. 100% quitting. Tell Pym good luck."

Loki

The strange dance revelry that is occurring in his den is not a rare happening with Loptr and his choice of friends who are all supposed to be using the flailing to electronic dance music as some type of warm up though they seemed sufficiently warmed up an hour ago before the second Deadmau5 album.

He leaves them to their own devices for another half an hour before coming to gift them some order and remind them of their original intention of meeting, Loptr sighing and he and his friends offering Loki an apology. "You need not apologize to me," he replies as he looks down at the six of them. "Your fun was harmless."

"Professor L, my brother says you're really cool when you want to be," Miranda says. "He was right."

Loptr pats her on the shoulder with a grin. "Okay, thanks, Father, for the help. Now, guys, let's get to business. First thing is first, we need to choose some good jams."

Loki leaves them be with a knowing sigh, completely unsurprised when he hears the music turned back on. With Loptr at their helm, they will get this routine done in little time. He can be quite persuasive and spearheading when he puts his brilliant mind to it.

Hloridi and Christian talk about their feats as he transports them to Andrew's house, Loki sending Hloridi a look of warning when he mentions the fact that he was "nearly flying" during a 180 Ollie, and Hloridi promises to behave himself when Loki lets them out in front of the Daniels residence.

His car is filled with more retelling of feats from the supposedly successful dance practice when he goes to take Loptr to his symphony practice, and Loki half-listens to the conversation that Loptr's Midgardian friends carry on and half-listens to Loptr's drumming during the hour they stay and watch the ensemble play their orchestral dance music onstage.

By the time he has retrieved all ten of them, Loki is teetering on the line between casting a silencing charm or teleporting himself to a remote clearing in Northern Canada for the next 24 hours he must spend around children who feud over the most trivial matters from Hloridi challenging Luke that he knows more about Loptr to Loptr telling Dana that he cannot perform a back tuck as "awesome" as he can.

Albert stands in front of the front door though he has a key, and Loki almost hugs the man for the initiative he takes to wrangle all of them inside of the house and quit their childish squabbles. "You're always so collect about these things," he says as Loki follows him into the kitchen, pans and other assorted foodstuffs filling the counters. "Now, you seem… on edge."

He is on the edge, inches away from falling into the depth of impulsiveness and semi-sanity he once inhabited a few years ago. As he goes to respond, six presences enter the yields of his property. The Avengers.

After Thor's phone call informing him of his inability to pay the visit as promised, Loki wasn't expecting him to show his face, let alone with his five team mates at his sides. Their presence in his life is far too frequent for his tastes; knowing that they obviously have ulterior motives behind their presence as well does not make him any more eager to accept them either.

When they make one wrong move, Loki will do what must be done whether Thor fights him on it or not. If he stands with his enemies, the enemies of their children, he will face rightful opposition from Loki and those at his beck and call. This time, Loki is willing to use all of his resources for this battle is one that he intends to win with great conviction.

"Someone's at the door!" Hloridi shouts moments before the doorbell is rung. His sons and their friends come from every which way to watch as Loki goes to the door as if they are aware of whom it is, Loki keeping the dread from his demeanor just as he has trained himself.

A gasp comes from their friends when the visitors are revealed.

"The Avengers," Loki says. "What a surprise."

"Um, hey, we're not the Avengers right now, Professor," Barton says. "We're your colleagues. Five new classes or something."

He feels each beat of Barton's heart in the air particles, one steady beat after the other.

"Seriously?" Loptr shouts, and during Steven's confirmation, his pure, super soldier heart beats steadily.

Steady beats come from each of them, but their basic training would teach them something as rudimentary as control of their pulses, so he strains to feel the insides of them with tendrils of sensory magic, Thor left untouched, analyzing the Midgardian particles in their blood from the Gamma irradiated hemoglobin of Dr. Banner to the serum-enhanced life blood of the captain. None of the human hormones marking deception are present.

His words are the truth.

"Coach Barton is the name!"

Screams and shouts of excitement come from around him, and Loki is excited though not in the same way the children are. The time he has to discover their true intent has increased with the extra hours of the school day. A week or two is all he will need, and after that, he will not have to deal with these interlopers any longer.

They may suspect something of him, and he feels just the same.

Pull them in close to snag them in a trap which not even the eyes of the widow will see.

"Then we will discuss curriculum then, yes?" Loki invites them in with a tight smile and leads them into the parlor, shutting the door to jeers. He gestures for them to take a seat and very calmly, takes a place to view them all simultaneously. "You are not here to discuss curriculum."

"Nope, that's Monday," Tony says.

The captain nods. "Yes, we're here on other business. Loki, Hermod, your brother and Odin's messenger, paid a visit earlier. He's going to find out about your sons soon."

They are severely mistaken if they believe that Loki is unaware, but he feigns curiosity anyway. "Hm."

"Hm?"

Thor sighs. "Loki, why did you run?"

"I did not 'run, Thor. I escaped, so let us not pretend that I was not being held there without my consent. If I had a choice of whether I would ever return to Asgard then, I would have said no, and now I would also say no. My sons will not be raised in such a place where they will not be accepted."

"Pretty sure you were in Asgard for trying to take over Earth, but whatever floats your boat, Mischief."

"Our sons were in no danger there."

Loki laughs. "Thor, forever the idealist, never seeing the bad in things, including-"

Purple magic slides beneath the door, and Hloridi hisses something at Loptr behind the wood.

"I assume you withheld the information of my location since I am not being struck down by the All-Father," he says. "My sons would be grateful that you care for them so much already."

"I don't think Odin would strike you down," Steven says. "He seemed more concerned with establishing a relationship with these mystery grandchildren of his. He doesn't explicitly know they're Thor's, but it seems that they think they are."

"With just cause of course," Loki says, moving toward the door, and Hloridi and Loptr standing and scramble away with none of the dignity that Loki born unto them. "Excuse me, it appears that I have someone I must speak with. Feel free to show yourselves out unless you intend to stay and take part in the shenanigans of 11 and 10 year olds, which I am sure you do on a daily basis anyway."

"Loki, hey, we weren't finished talking to you!"

Dr. Banner clears his throat and gestures to the StarkPhone in his hand. "Um, that guy from last night, he's almost genetically identical to Thor."

How he knows that, Loki is unaware, but he can guess that Rögnvaldr was not so careful as to not leave them the gift of a stray strand of blond. The Midgardian Banner is as clever as he is insane.

"Yay, Thor doesn't have any more secret children, but a twin?" Tony gasps. "Well, I'll be damned."

"How—how dare you keep _this_ from me? What gives you the right?"

"I asked the same of you last night but received no response, but I will be the bigger 'person' and grace you with an answer," Loki says. "What rights do I have? You were not fit to be king, Thor, and as a concerned citizen and prince of Asgard, I generously took it upon myself to find one who would be the king that the all of the realms needed, so you could continue your hedonistic gallivanting from bed to bed and inn to inn. In the end, I had to do it myself for my hand is the most skilled."

He succeeded too.

"A Thor clone then, hm?"

"Need I repeat my explanation? Believe it or not, I truly cared for Asgard before they betrayed me," he says.

"'Betrayed.'"

"So that means… your sons, they could be… his?" The temptation to let Dr. Banner's words plant the seed of doubt needed to convince the Avengers that they have been wrong this entire time is large, almost large enough for Loki to open his mouth and confirm, but a picture of Hloridi reading _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince _along the mantle makes him pause and decide against it.

"No, Hloridi and Loptr are the one and only Thorsons," he says, not missing Thor's look of relief.

"Loki, Loki, I apologize for interrupting you all, but—Hloridi has gotten ahold of a very, very large amount of spiders, and Loptr has made his temporary home in the great oak in the backyard. They're everywhere, and I mean everyway, and I know you have a way with these type of things, so can you-?"

Thor is out of the room before Albert can finish, and by the time Loki reaches the backyard, Loptr is once again terrestrial, charging at his bellowing brother and his friends.

"Hey, you guys kind of all look alike," Christian says, pointing to where Thor is holding Loptr and Hloridi apart with one arm. "You know what would be totally weird? If you-?"

He doesn't get to finish that thought because suddenly all Midgardians within range are hit with a completely random sleeping charm, halting and falling into a slumber in their places.

"Loki."

He shrugs at Thor. "It was a reflex."

Another sleeping charm happens to come from nowhere, and his sons and Thor join them.

His magic is one thing that remains beautifully constant.

_When he does after five Midgardian years, in the form of his childhood persona, he comes to meet a boy not unlike who Thor was before he was raised above everyone with their praise, the boy who asked Loki the many questions he had of the universe. He reminds him of who he is and what he will one day be before he departs only to receive a sullen confirmation in return, opposite of the prince that he knew._

_When he returns the sixth time to a boy of 15 Midgardian years, he meets someone strikingly familiar yet so different at the same time, inches of height elevating Thordr above Loki's 14 year old form, and he swallows down the want that surges forth at the memories of the past he had with another who is far too busy with his own life to pay Loki more than a short glance in the halls. _

_He is received well by Thordr and his mother, the aging woman still looking at him with her sharp eyes, but he keeps himself detached for he is not here to relieve his lost childhood._

_During their second week of sparing during Loki's first visit in over a year, Thordr asks a question that almost takes Loki off guard though he is the one with his guard down, his spear at his side as he regards Loki. "Who are you, Loki?"_

_He brings the spear down on Thordr's shoulder. He was taught to never let his guard down, and he will teach him the same. "Your brother."_

_"No, you are his brother," Thordr replies. "I am not him."_

_"You are one in the same."_

_"No, we are not. I would never leave you alone." He has heard this before from lips almost identical, a voice almost identical._

_Loki nearly knocks the spear from his hand. "What makes you think I am alone?"_

_"Then why are you here with me? What interest do I hold for a god?" _

_"I am here to teach you the king you will one day be." He blocks the swing, but his own weapon is nearly snapped in two, only times before when he has been in this position helping him prevent so from happening. "King Thor."_

_"Why can Thor not be king?"_

_"Because he is not fit to be king, Thordr. You are."_

_"Is that why I am here, to only be king?"_

_He lets out a grunt of frustration because when put that way, it sounds as if Loki's intentions are ill, not better than those who wish to transfer power to his older brother. "It is your duty to govern the nine realms as Thor will not be able to for his attentions are held in other places."_

_Thordr's movements are hesitant, and Loki awaits the next query with dread. "He is not a very good person, is he?"_

_"And what makes you assume that?"_

_"Because I am going to be king in his place," he replies. "Any man who is not fit to be king cannot be a very good man."_

_"Not necessarily," Loki says, and he sighs. "Thor is a good person, just not a very good king, and he is not a man like the two of us."_

_"Are they not one in the same?"_

_Loki blocks his hit but narrowly avoids the spear. "No, they are not."_

_The two ideas are mutually exclusive though Asgard seems to not think so with their whispering of how most unfit Loki is to rule their country as one focused in the arts of spells and charms instead of the warrior ways of his contemporaries and king-father. They hang their heads low and murmur about the Silver Tongue as if he is not the true master of forbidden words and follow his back with dissatisfied gazes, unknowing of the fact that Loki is giving this realm—all of the realms—what it is owed: a king. _

_What awaits him after half of an orbit of Asgard around Sol of being absent is not a boy but a god in the truest form: pure, altruistic, but perfect._

_Thordr crosses the field in long strides, and his mature exterior reminds him of the dreams he once had for Thor of becoming the warrior he could be. He is that warrior, and as they meet in the middle, Loki realizes that he has made a mistake._

_He stands in front of Thordr in his true form for the first time and feels his eyes roaming his body in ways only one other has done though not with the same unabashed desire that his brother once displayed. _

_"I will not be king, Loki," Thordr says. "I will not rule." _

_He brushes the unruly blond from his eyes and looks up at him into eyes that were once familiar though they have grown with the boy, lacking the arrogance that 'his' have. "You were created to be a king."_

_"I was created by a king." He touches Loki's shoulder, a touch he wishes were truly _his_. "I wish to serve."_

_Loki looks up at the sounds of childish giggles to see a gaggle of blond heads at the edge of the tree line, blue glinting in the sunlight. "You are a god."_

_"Am I truly?" Thordr brings a dagger Loki gifted him across his palm and takes Loki's hand with Thorian strength, slicing across, and he pushes their palms together, eyes locked. "You are the true god, Loki. For you, I pledge my life, the life you have gifted me and my children. My blood is yours."_

_He pulls back his hand, and a smile graces his lips. "I assume you have kept up on your spell casting?"_

_Thordr grins, and no, he is not Thor though he is quite, quite close. "Of course, _my liege_."_

* * *

**A/N: **The Avengers aren't the only ones moving into Loki's life. Tune in next chapter (possibly up tonight [5/24/13]; no promises) where we meet the next stage of Hloridi and Loptr's plan and Loki's scheme with those dudes (gasp, there's more)!  
Play me off, Keyboard Cat!  
*Keyboard cat!*


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Rhythmic Generation of Pleasant Sounds Loki

The children play the new video game until takes them home when the sky stains orange, drowsy Midgardians bidding him farewell and thanking him before they are shuffled to their homes by their equally as grateful and tired parents who ask Loki how he remains so energized, Loki offering them a chuckle and a murmuring about the boys keeping him eternally awake.

Hloridi and Loptr are a tangle of still limbs on Loki's bed when he returns, so he instead gets comfortable with a cup of Earl Grey tea and a vintage copy of _The Great Gatsby_, F. Scott Fitzgerald's worn signature on the inner cover.

He really should not be surprised when he is interrupted by the approach of Thor's familiar presence, Loki answering the door as Thor ascends the path. He watches him in the mist of the early morning and allows his eyes to roam the figure that he knows well, snapping out of his scrutiny when Thor makes it a point to slide into the house against him as he holds his gaze.

His skin heats beneath his clothes, but Loki shakes the sensation away. He shuts the door quietly and follows Thor into the kitchen, remaining standing as Thor takes a seat. He crosses his arms and stares back at Thor, ignoring the residual sensation of his touch. "If you have come to talk to our children, you should be aware that they are asleep."

"I know," Thor replies, blinking once, twice, thrice. "I counted on that."

Loki conjures his tea and goes to refill it, Thor's eyes hot on his back. "You have come to speak then," he says. "Speak."

"Loki, I…" He sighs, a low sound in his throat. "What do _you_ want from me?"

He chuckles because that is so Thor of him to ask. The unsure boy he knows from childhood, one who asked Loki, "Is this alright?" to the point where Loki said, "It's fine," after everything to give him the reassurance he needed, has only found humility Loki never expected him to discover until perhaps being stuck in the back with a spear by one of the many women he bedded.

"Nothing, Thor." He takes a sip. "Truly, you are here for the children and your Avengers. I am in understanding of that fact."

"I'm here for you too, Loki. I hate that you felt the need to do this, but I remain the same as I was before you left. In these years you have been gone, I—you have done something truly, truly despicable, but I continue to feel the same."

Such words would have once warmed his heart, once.

"I may have changed, and you may have as well, but together, we have not."

"Yes, you are still a liar."

"Let us not go there, Thor."

"Why, the god of lies cannot take the truth?"

He exhales. "I do not care much for it," he replies, and he leaves the room, uncaring if Thor's eyes follow him.

The waking of Hloridi and Loptr is marked by twin screams and the thump of two bodies hitting the ground.

Loki stands in the doorway and watches them groggily shout insults about nothing at each other and continues to do so even when he is joined in his vigil by Thor who is generous with the space between them, the curves and slopes of his arm muscles well-defined by the skintight shirt he wears, and Loki nearly fidgets when Thor flexes, the familiarity more jarring than he would like.

Hloridi stretches his arms above his head as he stares at them. "When did you get here?"

"Who—oh, good morning, dads."

He has only partially gotten over the "dads" thing.

"Man, that was the best sleep I've had in ages," Hloridi says, "but it was totally ruined by Lop."

"Yeah, thank you, Lori, for ruining my sleep!"

They continue their bickering as they slide past him and Thor, and Loki enters his room with the intention to shower, sending Thor an exasperated look when he maintains his position in the doorway.

"I have to shower," he says, and he smirks, "and our children are prone to walk in at any moment. Do feel free to show yourself around the house since you will be spending much of your time here now, yes?"

Thor goes to leave, stopping to say, "I mean what I said, Loki," before Loki shuts the door behind his back with a wave of his hand.

He does not care if Thor meant it or not because nothing changes even if Thor states that he feels the same as he did before Loki escaped with his—their children. Everything Loki has done for the past decade has been with his children in mind, and though United States law grants them adulthood upon 18 years of age, Asgardian rule declares one a functioning member of society upon 15 Asgardian years lived. As much as he loathes the realm, his sons are citizens of Asgard.

To think of what the All-Father would do if he found their existence out only cements the recent decisions he has made for the sake of Hloridi and Loptr. He will not taint them with his ways as he did to Loki and Thor though Thor remains adamant that the All-Father is an infallible man.

Thor will not do so either.

When he descends the stairs, Loptr and Hloridi are not arguing with each other for "Far" has asserted his authority and gotten them to engage in cordial conversation with him about banal topics such as their choice video games and most memorable moments involving Loki and his "trickery."

Hloridi is just about to answer with an event Loki does not want Thor to find out about when he notices Loki standing in the archway and snaps his mouth shut to offer him his father's smile. "Father, we were just talking about you."

He rolls his eyes and beckons for them to come.

They depart for Caribou, Hloridi suggesting that he instead drive his rarely used Lexus, a garish vehicle that Loki has little use of when it is not soccer season. Quips are made about Loki's lack of driving skills, and Loki points out that he is the one driving so it would be wise for his sons to shut their mouths, only to earn a skeptical look for Thor who he has never been in a Midgardian vehicle with.

Thor stares at him as he drives, and Loki is quite fine until he starts to chuckle softly at something, the question Loki asks him getting a response that blames their children for his amusement.

Albert finds him among the semi-chaos. "Hello, Lop and Lori. Also, hello, Loki, you look awfully snazzy today. What is the occasion—Oh, Professor, um, Thor, I wasn't expecting to see you." Albert glances briefly at Loki. "What brings you here with Loki?"

"Curriculum," Loki says.

"Yeah, curriculum." Hloridi and Loptr snicker.

"Wait, I see Dana. Peace, Dad—Thor and Father. Lop, look, there's your gaggle of chicks. See you guys later."

Thor grabs Hloridi's hood with a bright grin. "I shall see what some of my more colorful students are up to outside of school. Come, Hloridi. Have a good day, Albert."

Seven hours of not seeing either of his sons leads him around the displays and tables of offerings as he follows the trails of purple energy intermixed with _his_ red.

"Loki!"

He turns an unwelcoming look on Eric. "Eric."

When he touches Loki, nearly does Loki break his arm. "So, how are-?"

Martin claps Eric's shoulder with a grin. "Loki, Eric, found more of my colleagues," he says, and he proceeds to ruffle Eric's styled hair. "A group of us are sticking together. Why don't you two join us?"

Eric moves away from him with a scowl. "No, but thank you, Martin. I have a battle with one Professor Hayley Mort who claims that I can't recite the first act of Romeo and Juliet from memory. I'll see you two later."

With his absence, Loki's left at ease without the worry of Eric trying to prove himself as a worthy suitor when they have known each other for ten years and Loki has not expressed any interest for him in a way more than a comrade. His goals will go unsuccessful.

Martin gives him a curious look. "You two aren't together or anything, right? I hope you don't mind me asking. I know how you are about these kind of things quite a lot like me."

Loki curses Eric's ancestors. "No, no, not at all," he replies. "Does it appear that way?"

"No, I was simply curious." Beneath his voice lies the familiar tone of satisfaction, and Loki's lips quirk up. "I'll leave you to find your sons. We both know their silence doesn't mean anything good."

Yes, they both know that. "Hm, yes, goodbye, Martin," Loki says, adding his own dose of flirtation in his words.

If he had to choose a mortal mate, he would choose, without hesitation, Martin Zold, one of the most brilliant men he has met to date and verily attractive as well. He has several of the essential traits that Loki requires of a potential partner, none of which any other Midgardians have displayed, and most importantly, his sons quite like the man.

On the other hand, another has all of those traits and more though that is no surprise since Loki has been in love with him for the entirety of his life. One does not gain that type of affection from Loki by being inadequate.

A hand shoots out from somewhere and halts Loki's progress to his sons, and he's spun around and pulled chest to chest, Loki giving Thor the wide-eyed look he deserves for playing these childish games with him.

Loki shoves him backward and glances around to see if anyone possibly witnessed Thor's behavior. "Keep your hands to yourself," he whispers through clenched teeth, adjusting his eyeglasses.

Thor drops his hand from Loki's arm, a handprint of heat left behind. "If you are looking for our sons, there is no need. Loptr and his friends are with Professor Verde and gushing about their plans for the talent show while Hloridi is with the student that gave the very, er, interesting presentation in your class."

"Matthew Black." He stares into Thor's eyes, the autumn sun lighting them an aqua Loki has seen beneath the lights of his—what were his quarters in Asgard, and the openness he sees in them frustrates him to no end. He has "betrayed" Thor an infinite amount of times and has zero plans of discontinuing doing so again yet Thor remains unfazed.

He is gullible and far too trusting yet Loki remains in love.

He begins to repeat the oft spoken, "You are an oaf," when they are joined by a few students.

"Professor O, what up?" Max and Thor bump fists before Max turns to him with a smile. "Professor Laufeyson, how are you?"

"Hello, Mr. Geri." He exchanges greetings with the others and leaves Thor with a sigh.

Hloridi and Matthew are talking about Blink-182 when Loki retrieves him for the night, Matthew saluting him a goodbye, and Loptr is about to demonstrate a favorite dance move of his to Jennifer, promising to show her tomorrow at recess when Loki interrupts him.

A group of blushing female Midgardians crowd around Thor as he recounts a tale complete with sweeping arm gestures and facial expressions that illicit "ohs" and "ahs" from his engrossed observers. Loki recognizes the event he speaks of when he talks of Lady Sif impaling a man with his own spear for lewd words and smirks until he realizes how the story progresses.

"My brother proceeded to lure more of the beasts around the Lady who were quite infuriated at her treatment of their fellow warrior and waited until the very last moment to use his trick of splitting himself into many to goad them into following him, but he nearly miscalculated which led to me having to destroy the creatures around me before I came to his rescue."

It did not go exactly like that. Loki did "nearly miscalculate."

"Wow, he's always been an asshole then, hm?" a young blonde asks.

He waits for Thor's response with a huff for Loki is not something as crude like an "asshole."

"What even happened to him?" another queries.

Thor drops his hands to his sides. "He has… undergone a change of lifestyle."

"That sucks. He was totally insane but pretty cute though. Would have given him the love he needed."

"Yeah, this Midgardian would have totally kneeled."

His sons try to muffle their laughs behind their hands.

"I did not need love-"

"Are you three about to head out?" Albert's smile is hesitant. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

He puts a hand on either of their shoulders and leads them around the crowd just as Thor begins a story about a harmless prank involving Sif's hair and a color changing spell, and on his way to the car, he encounters five people glaring venomously at him. "You all seem very… _awake_."

Steven puffs out his chest. "The next time you pull something like that, we can't guarantee that SHIELD won't be knocking on your door."

"You all do work for SHIELD, yes, so SHIELD has already knocked at more door far more times than I would prefer." Loki starts forward. "I will see you all bright and early tomorrow. We cannot have our new teachers missing school already, can we?"

"Yeah, you rescheduled that curriculum meeting for tomorrow. Thanks for that," Banner says.

Loki accepts his gratitude with a grin, and Barton sighs. "Stark, still wanna quit?"

"Nope, Steve won't let me."

Hloridi holds up a peace sign. "Peace out, Avengers."

"Yeah, bye, twerps."

When Hloridi and Loptr decide to stage a miniature reenactment of his visit to Stuttgart, reminded of Loki's past with the Avengers by their interaction, Loki break checks for he has no Thor to prove his driving ability to, not that he had anything to prove to Thor.

He drives perfectly.

Thor

"Steve, you're so lucky I like your ass."

Thor stands ready as Tony struggles to put his canvas shoes on. In his month of teaching, he has mastered waking up in the early hours of the day to prepare for his duty as a professor in a quick yet crisp way that leaves him satisfactory.

His team mates—Tony and Bruce—on the other hand may need more than a month to get into routine as Steven, Natasha, and Clint easily have. Clint and Natasha wear the physical education cotton pants and long-sleeved shirts, which are not as complex as a tie or elastic suspenders, but Steven's dressed quite spectacularly for an art teacher.

Though no one is surprised that Steven is taking this in stride.

"I'm ready. I'm ready." Bruce adjusts his bag. "Come on, Tony."

"Fine. Fine. I thought Romanoff was the only one who was Russian here," he replies, and Thor pauses before chuckling and patting him on the shoulder. "See, no one appreciates my humor."

With his friends now working as teachers, Thor no longer worries about Steven hovering in his classroom or Steven sending a team mate along with him in the case his brother does whatever situation Steven has constructed in his mind. They have their own responsibilities while Thor can attend to his alone.

Clint blows the whistle around his neck when the few arrived students come to gather at the top of the stairs, murmuring queries as to why the others are dressed for teaching in their Oxford shirts and other business casual wear though Tony's shoes are not quite out of the ordinary for him. "Students, students, please, calm yourselves," he shouts, "or ten—thirty laps around the gym."

They instantly silence, and Thor chuckles.

"Barton, you can't just do that," Natasha says.

"Sh, they don't know that, Tash."

Steven steps forth and walks through the crowd, Tony running behind him as he bemoans Steven abandoning him "to the children of the corn."

Thor nods to the students who greet him as he makes his way into the school, and he gestures for his remaining team mates to go into the office for their meeting with Headmaster Gron while he situates himself in the lobby, waiting for the arrival of the three most important people in his life.

Steven's insistence on leaving so early has finally found some use.

Bruce takes a seat beside him. "They're talking about things I already know, or don't really care to know," he says. "I mean, I teach science, have taught science to some of the most brilliant undergrads in the country. What's more to it?"

"The fact that they are still children," he replies, and Bruce sighs, Thor patting him on the shoulder. "My friend, your control of your anger will be quite useful. Simply hope that you do not get younger students for they are less inclined to restrain themselves."

Hloridi and Loptr enter with Loptr on Hloridi's back, and a following Loki pulls him from his back by the collar of his blazer, eyes immediately finding Thor.

He feels a twinge of happiness and does not suppress his smile as he approaches them. "Good morning."

Loptr looks around once before he hugs him, and Thor's slightly surprised though he quickly responds by doing what he knows he hates: ruffling his hair. "Jeez, will you ever stop doing that?" he asks as he smoothes the few stray stands down.

Thor does the same to Hloridi who futilely tries to step away. "No, I think not."

Loki adjusts his spectacles, eyes still remaining on Thor. "Dr. Banner, you look well-rested."

Bruce pushes to his feet with a sigh, running his hands over his cleanly-shaved face. Steven stopped trying to make him shave ten years ago after Thor promptly told him that he had no domain to try to control his appearance. "Hm, well, I'm a teacher now. Got to get a goodnight's sleep."

Professor Zold enters with his head stuck in a coffee cup, and he looks up at Loki with a smile though he greets them all before he disappears down a hallway. Thor knows the look he gave Loki, one quite similar to the ones that Eric sends Loki's way when he is doing something as simple as eating, and Thor has given a better version of that look to Loki since he can remember. Perhaps it is his default way to regard Loki. Even so, they have no right.

Loki's watching him with unreadable eyes when he turns his attention back to him. "Professors, I will see you all at another time then. Dr. Banner, I will see you at the curriculum meeting second period. Loptr, Hloridi, come."

"Who was the guy giving Loki the hungry lion stare?" Bruce asks.

"A colleague of ours," he replies, and he departs for his own classroom, unlocking the door just as the first student arrives.

Fifth period, Hloridi enters the classroom with his arm slung around the shoulders of Jessica, a girl he has never interacted with during class, and instantly, Thor is curious as to why Hloridi is suddenly chummy with this girl. The obvious assumption is that they are together, but Thor knows not to assume with this boy.

Jessica grins when Hloridi dismisses her rather rudely and sits down beside a scowling Cooper.

As if Thor is viewing his past, Hloridi is given high fives of congratulations from his classmates as he makes his way to Thor's desk, basking in the praise he receives for whatever is occurring between him and Jessica.

Thor leans back and in his chair crossed arms and regards his arrogant son with amusement. "What has developed between you and Lady Taylor? I see that you have become somewhat closer."

He bumps the fist of a classmate before turning back to Thor with a less arrogant smile. "Jessica? She's my girlfriend."

Thor chuckles and cocks a brow at him. "What use could a girlfriend have to you? You are a child."

"Okay, whatever, Mr. 'I'm Going to Cheat on My Brother Who is in Love with Me with Midgardian Women.'"

Loki telling Hloridi of his past mistakes is no surprise though it does not make the fact that Hloridi has no qualms of using his wrongs against him much more bearable. Matching Hloridi's smug gaze with his attempt of a neutral one is much harder as he digests just what he said. Hloridi is under the impression that Loki is still in love with him, and coming from a perceptive child such as him, it adds credibility to Thor's own inference that Loki still harbors the same feelings as he always has however much he denies.

"I did not cheat."

"No need to try to convince me, Daddy Dearest," he replies with a wink. "It's not like I really like her anyway. See, Cooper is like in love with her, has always been. I'm just… showing him that I have the guts to do what he won't. If he really liked her, he would have asked her out a billion years ago when your father was just a kid, but he doesn't."

"This is a show of your superiority over him then."

"Yep, I'm taking a page from Father's book of mischief. Catch you at lunch."

He has no idea what this page Hloridi has taken from Loki's book is, but if the intent is for Cooper to spend the duration of class glaring so hard that he would have a hole in his desk if he had an affinity for fire, the page is successful in helping Hloridi.

Hloridi puts his arm back around the Midgardian girl as they leave class, and what Hloridi was referencing is left at the tip of Thor's tongue.

Thor forsakes eating with his teammates in favor of sitting with Hloridi who gives him a look of sheer surprise when Thor gestures for Christian to shift down a seat. He sits across from his sobering son with a grin and accepts the high fives and fist pumps he receives from the other occupants of the table including Cooper because Thor sympathizes with the boy however wary he is of him from his sons' shared dislike of him.

Hloridi huffs and pushes his food away, crossing his arms.

"Should you not be eating with your little girlfriend?" he asks.

A chorus of laughter and other amused sounds leave their table mates.

"Shouldn't you be eating with your boy band and Natasha?"

"I find sitting with you to be far more entertaining. Clint's jokes are stale, and Tony's wit is only so tolerable before it becomes crass," Thor replies. "Bruce does not really care, Natasha does not either, and you know Steven."

He chuckles. "The lead singer? Yeah, I do. I also know that you are pretty terrible at jokes too, so…"

"I do not need jokes when I have stories."

"Oh, let's hear some!"

Hloridi smirks, looking very much like his father. "Yeah, let's hear some of your stories, _Professor_."

For that, Thor tells the story of one of Fandral's conquests going awry when she discovered that he was merely using her for her "assets," which garners childish snickers, and she promptly broke up with him after telling of some of his more embarrassing secrets. Hloridi rolls his eyes and says that it would never happen to him, but Thor sees the waver in his gaze.

At the end of the period, he puts a hold on his next story for a later time, and groans of protest are aimed at him, even one leaving Hloridi who tries to play it off though Thor makes note. Hloridi casually suggests that Thor finish his story at the next lunch period, which requires Thor to sit there again.

Thor listens to his suggestion and does so the next day.

Before lunch on Thursday, Steven pulls him aside and tells him of Loptr ranting about Hloridi stealing everything in his earlier art class, so Thor takes a moment to consider his words before he realizes just what Loptr is referring to.

He drags a hand over his face and curses his stupidity. His sons are not the types to put aside petty squabbles, quite the opposite.

Steven wishes him luck and goes to find Tony, leaving him to handle his own affairs as he wanted him too several times before, but this time, Thor is not sure he will be able to do this without exterior help.

Albert happens by, and Thor catches up with him, putting a hand on his shoulder to alert him of his presence. "Oh, Thor, what can I do you for?" He is such an eccentric man which is no surprise with how he has managed to befriend Loki, one with many eccentric tastes Thor is privy to.

"You are headed to lunch with Loki, yes?"

He nods. "Yep," he replies, "is there something you need from him?"

"No, just… Perhaps you could eat lunch elsewhere today?"

Albert stares blankly at him. "I—if that's what you want, yes, but I should warn you that Loki might not be so up for eating lunch with you. He eats lunch alone so often because he's not really a people person."

He pats his shoulder and beams, taking one of the lunch trays from him with his other hand. "Well, my friend, I am not 'people.'" He starts away from the slack-jawed man. "Thank you, Albert. I will owe you a solid one day!"

Knowing far too well that Loki will not answer if he knocks, he forgoes knocking completely and enters the semi-dark classroom, shutting the door behind him, and Loki looks up from his desk to give him a look devoid of any welcoming or warmth, a look Thor is sadly familiar with.

"Did you kill Albert? You should know that you will have to bake me mint-flavored cookies now."

He sets the tray down and sits down on a table, ignoring Loki's glare. "You know that I cannot cook, Loki," he replies, "and I owe him a solid. I cannot repay him if he is dead."

"Then he will want to be."

"He was merely doing me a favor, and he did so very hesitantly." Thor crosses his arms and takes in his brother, immaculate in his appearance, but inside, he is as chaotic as everyone else, simply more restrained. Thor has broken that restraint time and time again and has intentions of doing so when given the next chance. Ten years may be a short amount of time, but he is not renowned for his great patience, is he?

"I will not read your mind, Thor."

"I do not intend for you to," he says. "Why do our sons hold such animosity toward each other?"

Loki simpers. "You are asking a question that I do not know the answer to though I will see to it that whoever does will be granted immortality and the riches of the universe. Have you become the center of conflict between them again?"

He says it as if Thor is truly the one to blame when they both know that if it were not him, it would be someone else, probably Cooper.

"I only sat with Hloridi, and now Loptr feels as though I have been stolen. I have been sitting with him for nearly a month, and Hloridi seems to have not cared."

"No, he did."

"He did?" Thor sighs. "That explains many things."

Loki stands, and Thor's eyes track his lithe form to the window where he pushes the curtains open, basking himself in white sunlight. Angelic.

"How do I explain that I do not favor one of them?"

"You can't."

"Then what can I do?" he asks as he slips off and onto his feet. "I cannot sit with both of them. I do not have your powers of division."

"Then don't." Loki turns to face him. "I don't."

Thor stares, slightly mystified.

"Thor, you are making things much more complicated than they need to be as always. You have much to learn about our sons, but now you see that they make a conflict out of the simplest situations. Your job as their father and the source of the conflict is to solve it the obvious way. Don't sit with either of them. You see that I do not because I would rather avoid the fight when I can."

Loki now stands just an arm's length away.

"Tomorrow, eat lunch with me."

He cocks an eyebrow. "Tomorrow is not Wednesday."

He takes a step toward Loki who in turn takes one back, so he takes another step. "Things have changed as you said," Thor says, taking a step and leaving only a sliver of space between them, "but some haven't."

Loki looks up from beneath his lashes, and his lips part ever so slightly as he exhales, air brushing over Thor's clavicle. His hands rest on Thor's lower back. "What? Like the fact that today is Thursday, your day?"

He meets Loki's eyes, more black than green, and he touches a finger to Loki's chin, tilting his face up. "Exactly." He leans down, holding Loki's gaze before his eyes dart down to Loki's lips. "I-"

"Don't."

He inhales his neck, lips millimeters away from touching the skin. His fingers ghost over the smooth fabric of the shirt separating Thor from Loki. He presses one soft kiss to the corner of his jaw, relishing the small taste of something kept from him for ten years too long. "Silk," the texture of Loki's skin, the temporary obstructer standing between them.

"It is quite nice to know that the years have done nothing for your skills of observation. They still remain the same." Loki's nails slowly catch on the skin of his lower back. "Pointlessly obvious and ridiculously inane."

"Hm, and it seems that yours have taken quite the turn for the worse," he says, feeling Loki's exhales on his lips.

"What makes you think such a thing?"

Ten years, Thor has waited. Thor will not wait on his day.

He cradles Loki's face, thumb brushing off his moist lip. "You think that I will give up."

5000 years of coming together and falling apart have not lessened the impact of Loki's kiss, the simultaneous hot and cold that radiates from him and into Thor through his lips which become demanding against his own when Loki gives in, fingers sliding into Thor's hair and gripping.

A skilled tongue of silver that Thor knows so very well clashes with his in a battle that neither of them will ever win though neither are eager to give up.

His hands take in the slight curves beneath the silk before sliding around to clutch the tight curve at the bottom of his spine, swallowing the soft moans that leave Loki's mouth. At the growing heat in his gut, he presses himself harder into Loki, feeling his own want through his pants, and squeezes harder, breaking away to kiss the unmarked juncture of Loki's neck.

He sucks, a groan leaving him as he rolls his hips forward. Previously unmarked.

Loki's hands fall to his shoulders and shove though Thor remains unmoved. "Stop!"

He steps away, searching for a problem and finding none. "What is wrong?"

Loki is broken, wonderfully ravished and looking quite the part, shoulders heaving, wet lips swollen, and hair pushed from his neck to reveal a violet bruise. His darkened eyes blink owlishly as he stares at Thor as if he is a predator. He looks down and speaks as he rearranges himself. "Everything has changed, Professor Odinson. Excuse me for I have to go somewhere you are not."

He takes a bathroom break.

Loki

"Father, why do you look like you have seen the ghost of that Bach guy you like?"

He tightens his grip on the steering wheel though careful not to snap it again. That was not a trip to the auto repair shop that he wants to experience again to have to attempt to explain how it happened to a Midgardian man covered with strange greasy substances.

On the topic of substances though fortunately—unfortunately—none were discharged.

He touches the skin on his neck under the concealing spell, the skin still tender from his unrelenting suction, suction that Loki could appreciate in many other areas in another time though that time is not on his neck in his classroom during school time.

"Yeah, Father, do you happen to have an alien virus?" Loptr asks.

He scoffs. "I am not so weak as to get infected by something of that sort," he replies, and he turns the stereo on, when a James Blake song, the only artist his sons can agree on, starts to play, averting the topic from what is wrong with Loki to how "awesome" James Blake is.

They kissed, and though Loki told him not to kiss him, he knew that Thor would anyway. Perhaps his own intentions were muddy, and he should have taken the last few steps away to put the needed distance between them. Loki can do many things but has not mastered time travel.

His sons do him the favor of sparing him anymore queries though Loptr is absorbed with his impending concert, and Hloridi puts aside his own quarrel with Loptr to assist his practicing by use of his rudimentary guitar skills.

Loki observes them carry on a normal conversation over dinner as he waits for the argument that does not come and dismisses them from the table when they ask to be excused. He stays seated at the head of the table though and waits for the visitor he knows will come.

Spaki corporealizes, head inclined, before he stands to his full height and removes his hood. "My liege."

He gestures for him to sit at the other head of the table and wills his mind to stay focused on the task at hand instead of the resemblance Spaki bears to another. "The next step has been set in motion?"

"Yes, he has overseen it himself. He sends his regards."

"I send mine to him." He leans on his steepled fingers, disregarding the table manners he instilled in his boyhood. "How long before I should expect a sudden influx in power?"

"A week," Spaki replies. "Friday as planned, one will arrive. By the morn of Monday, a unit of three more will have arrived. Then, you can send over a doppelganger to oversee the major movement."

Loki is not looking forward to the process of sending another form of himself off with more than half of his power, but he must if this is to be infallible to failure. This is what he will do to protect his children.

"My liege, are you well?"

He jolts from his daze. "Yes, I have a lot on my mind."

"Rightfully so." He stands up, his mouth quirking up at the corner. "Is there anything more that you require?"

Loki takes a moment to regard Spaki, verily like his "father" though lacking in the same humility that set his father aside from the original, and in the past, Loki has taken advantage of that fact though never directly. His doppelganger can be entities on their own though their connection with Loki does allot him more than life through their eyes.

The bruise gives a pang beneath his fingertips.

"No, that will be all," he replies, and he goes to read after Spaki leaves.

In the morning, his neck is once again unmarked, but the weight of the bruise still remains.

Loki does not do avoidance, and the fact that he chooses to leave 20 minutes before their usual departure is an attempt to not avoid but delay interaction with Thor. He is successful for he does not see any trace of the Avengers or Thor when he enters the school.

"Father, you look relieved," Hloridi says, pulling his headphones around his neck. "Do you want to-?"

"No." He presses a kiss to his forehead, satisfied at Hloridi's scowl. "I will see you at lunch."

"But today isn't—okay, bye, Father."

"Yeah, bye, Father," Loptr says as he gives him a one-armed hug. "I hope you don't have an alien virus."

He takes a moment to regain his usual composure by allowing his mind to pick apart yesterday's happening and relive it, stopping just when the line was crossed, where Loki should have put an end to things. He takes a deep, unneeded breath, and begins class without a hint of distress exposed to the students just as he always should be.

Albert arrives seconds after the bell rings with two students in tow, and Loki is relieved to see him instead of someone else. "Loki, I am truly thankful that I have been blessed with you in my life, you know that?"

After one incident with two football players in his second year of teaching, no one dared to intervene in a fight when he was around after Loki caught a fist in midair and pinned an arm behind a back with his other hand. Albert, the pacifist he is, has relinquished the resolving of disputes between his students to him or sometimes Mark when he is nearer.

Marshall and Jason sit next to each other upon Loki's command, and Albert and Loki start to continue their normal lunch routine when one Thor Odinson enters his classroom with an insane nuclear physicist in tow, Thor gracing him with one of his champion smiles.

Albert's grin wavers. The man of happiness and optimism is fazed by the golden boy of Asgard. "Professors Odinson and Banner, didn't know you were joining us."

"Neither did I," Loki says. He does not grant Thor more than a neutral look as he pulls a chair beside Albert.

"Why are they here?" Banner asks as he stares at Marshall and Jason.

"Detention for nearly fighting," Albert replies, and Banner pulls a chair to their table and begins to talk to them about "managing their anger" as he does. Albert's cheer slowly builds up as he talks, eyes always glued to Loki, and the topic of Loptr's concert comes up and their group attendance.

Loki clenches his teeth as he remembers that his colleagues love to make an effort to be a part of his and his sons' lives outside of school. Albert's involvement is understandable as Loki can tolerate the man, and he is well-liked by the twins, but the others are extraneous on these group affairs they organize, especially with the fact that they must travel to Canada.

"Loptr will do well," Thor says. "He has inherited charisma and confidence."

Albert pauses. "Well, Loki is pretty charismatic when he isn't being antisocial, and he's definitely confident. Lori got way too much of that confidence, but he's a cool kid."

Thor starts to say something stupid when Loki sends him a warning look. "Yes, he is rather cool."

The bell for fifth period is a gift that Loki appreciates very much though he does not appreciate when Thor leans in to murmur, "Your bruise is gone," as he gives him a devilish look that only frustrates Loki for the remainder of the school day for his magic can only do so much as means of _that_ kind of restraint.

After school, he receives several calls from Loptr's friends' parents who should know the details after two years of this occurring. He ends the call with Mrs. Watson, and his sons let out exasperated sighs before hurrying Loki.

Hloridi is a mess of nerves on his brother's behalf, Loptr completely calm while Hloridi asks him if he's nervous or prone to regurgitate every few seconds. Where Loptr's true Thor traits other than his appearance show are the confidence he displays in situations that would have most on the brink of a panic attack.

By the time they reach Edmunston, however, Hloridi has stopped asking questions and taken to texting one of his friends.

Loki guides them both inside and is quite fine until he sees the congregation of colleagues standing in the lobby, all of who turn to them and begin to gush. He tightens his grasp on their shoulders as he offers them a tight smile, which nearly fails when the Avengers emerge from the crowd.

Thor's choice to keep the top buttons of his shirt is truly inappropriate, much like his lack of shyness regarding display of his torso during their past days spent in Asgard where the perpetual Summer was notably hot, and the temptation to tell him so is gone when he remembers just where they are and who Loki is.

"Father, since I don't have to be backstage for five minutes, you should play a quick song on the piano and demonstrate musical composition or something to everyone," Loptr says.

The plan his sons spoke of at the hospital was not unheard though the details are still unknown. Loki has a great feeling that the next stage of this plan has been enacted now.

"Oh, Loki's going to show how talented his family is," Eric says.

Mark scoffs. "It's called showing off, Hring."

Pierce chuckles. "Laufeyson doesn't show off, Mark. He 'displays' and does a hell of a job at it."

"Come on, Misch—I mean, professor! Show us them tunes!" Tony shouts to the agreement of many others.

Loki does not get cornered by Midgardian men and women who seek entertainment, so he makes no motion to go play the piano.

"Father, please?"

Hloridi and Loptr's eyes project twin looks of yearning so adorable that Loki is compelled to seat himself at the back of the grand piano.

He can appreciate the product of a Midgardian man's passion for the art of composition more than the pretentious simpletons who call themselves contemporary music critics. Truly appreciating art is to become one with it, which Loki takes great pleasure in doing.

The memory of the piece flows down from his mind and into his hands as if Loki is weaving the foundation of a mystical yield, strings and threads not of magic but of sound. His digits construct the chord formations over the keys and apply pressure with the force needed for the dynamics as Loki recalls what was written by the composer.

A creature of mischief not very unlike himself dances in the measures of song as Ravel intended.

The F dyad sounds and Loki pulls his hands from the keys, opening his eyes to the applause of an audience.

He stands as he murmurs thanks and ushers a beaming Loptr backstage. He returns to retrieve Hloridi but finds Clint Barton has already done the job of getting him seated, the two of them sitting in the side balconies with the widow. With a sigh does he take his seat beside Albert, nearly tensing when he feels someone lean in behind him.

"You did not tell me you played piano so well," Thor says. "I was aware you were proficient, but you surpass others I have seen."

"What would the point of me showing you be when you are not there to listen?"

Thor leans back in his chair and ceases talking for the curtain raises and the musicians onstage begin to play instantly.

Loptr plays drums as he does everything: with great enthusiasm. Hloridi discards formal social convention as he usually does and shouts praise for his brother from above, and Loki makes no motion to stop him, preferring the glimpse at their past where arguing was not constant.

The shouts of Loptr's name are loud over the applause of hundreds, Thor and his fellow crime fighters sounding like they are Loptr's friends with their loudness. Even so, Hloridi's utilization of his status as non-Midgardian and the physiological differences overwhelms them all, and Loki turns to remind Thor of a time when Loki and their—Thor's friends were witness to his reception of Mjolnir and the ruckus they caused.

Thor eyes flit from the stage to him, and Loki does not say anything before he walks away. Thor of course follows him and attempts to put a hand on his shoulder, but Loki shrugs his hand off as he enters the lobby. "What is the problem?"

He crosses his arms and starts to reply when Albert exits the auditorium, his eyes leaving Thor's to look at him.

Albert comes to stand beside him, touching his shoulder as he grins. "Your kids are just great, Loki. I mean, some of the most amazing kids I've ever met, but it makes sense since you are their father. You're pretty… great yourself."

A hint of something lingers in Albert's voice, and not the something in Thor's, Eric's, or Martin's. The Warriors Three have talked to him in the same way in the past. Suspicion.

"I know," he replies.

"Thank you," Thor says, and Loki's eyes widen. "We are proud."

He cannot be considering doing this as if it is a viable option for them to simply come out and say that he is the father of Loki's children, Loki who happens to be very male from his perspective and accidentally his own two eyes. An explanation of his anatomy will surely ensue and from that, it is not a far conclusion to draw that Loki is the Loki, an extraterrestrial which explains his ability to bear children as a male.

"Um… I'm sorry, but I don't-"

"Albert, he is jesting." Loki flashes him a smile before he grabs Thor's arm and pulls him from the building, and as he looks at Thor who is suddenly infuriated, his own bottled rage starts to subside in favor of satisfaction that he has done something to get him so angry without even trying. "I thought we were past the point where you expected me to read your mind a few millennia ago."

"I cannot continue to pretend that I am nothing more to you than a simple colleague, Loki. I have known you for longer than the lives of these mortals combined and have loved you the entire time. I cannot lie as well as you can, cannot act as if I am not in love with you."

He clenches his fists, wanting to strike Thor for putting him in this situation. "We can't always get what we want, Thor! Almost 11 years I have done everything in my power to give my sons the lives they deserve, and you waltz in with your men in tights to try to fit yourself into our lives in the way you see fit. Can you try not to be so selfish for once, Thor? Their world does not revolve around you!"

"You act as if I knew!"

"You couldn't know, Thor. Protecting my sons was my most important duty, and it remains so."

Thor takes his face in his hands, and every ounce of restraint is summoned. "Then let me help you."

"You—you cannot, Thor! It is from you—the side you are on—that I must protect them from!" he shouts. "Hermod was only the beginning."

He drops his hands and steps backward, stricken. "Loki, our father—he would not do something like that."

"_Your_ father is a king with ends that he sees justifying the means! My sons are little more than insurance for the future of the golden kingdom. I no longer care for that place for I have more important things to attend to," he replies, "but the All-Father and I both know of who you once were. Now that you have miraculously found humility, he only has to continue the legacy of the house of Odin. I would be glad to find a suitable replacement in the place of my sons."

Loki chuckles. "I have many, but they are not too keen on the All-Father or his precious realm. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go find my sons." He turns to go, but he's rooted in place by a hand on his shoulder, and before he can voice his opposition of Thor's closeness, his mouth is sealed in a harsh kiss that reeks of raw emotion so carelessly given by Thor.

Thor pulls away, close enough for Loki to still count each of his blond lashes and feel the droves of heat his body always radiates. "They are _our_ sons, and you are mine."

"Oh, did someone play Father's drum? Did Loptr inherit his skills from a special parent?"

He takes a step away from Thor before turning to Hloridi and… Albert.

"Did we interrupt something?" Hloridi asks.

He meets Albert's wide-eyes as he takes Hloridi's hand. "No, absolutely nothing," he replies, holding Albert's gaze, and he could wipe Albert's memory though the reason would never let him do so. "Let us go find your brother."

Aftershocks of green energy reach him.

"Someone has arrived."

* * *

**A/N:** Possibly three chapters left? Planning on splitting this into two anyway, so, yep. Oh yeah, things get steamy next chapter?!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Carnal Copulation Instincts Thor

In the evening of Saturday, Thor rings the doorbell and waits only a short second before he is face to face with his brother.

Thor glances over his usual appearance of order and neatness and senses something astray, so he slides past Loki and into the house, glancing around once in search of the source of Loki's obvious discontent. He only finds the usual décor and turns back to give Loki a knowing look. "Is someone here?"

"No," Loki replies, "including our sons. They are over their friend's houses. Is there something that I should be aware of?"

He shakes his head after a moment. "No." He senses something off though he cannot identify it. Perhaps Loki was casting a spell. "I was mistaken."

Loki gives him no other response before he turns on his heel and climbs the stairs, Thor following him without needing prompting. He cannot help himself but watch the serpentine sway of Loki's jean-clad hips, a movement that could hypnotize Thor even after falling victim to this unintentional spell from Loki more times than numbers in existence.

Thor follows Loki into his bedroom, only having caught a glance the last time he stood in the threshold.

Back in Asgard, Loki's quarters were filled with books that lined shelves higher than Loki or Thor could reach though Thor often acquired the books from the top shelf for his brother anyway. Here, his room is very reminiscent of the bedroom Thor spent many a night within, an abundance of green and gold, shelves with many large books though Loki could reach the top shelves without Thor's help, has done so for over ten years.

For over ten years his brother has managed to get along without the assistance Thor had become accustomed to before his exile to Midgard, and that is an achievement Thor is unsure he himself would have been able to accomplish with the addition of their sons.

Loki turns a cold look on him, so Thor decides that a warming is in order.

His brother's protests go ignored as he wraps his arms around his midsection, and he simply tightens his hold, burying his face in Loki's neck and inhaling his scent of fruit, so similar to those of the golden apples in Idunn's orchard.

Loki's arms come to rest around his neck, his touch feather-light.

When he was far younger, he discovered the difference in size between his brother and he while in an embrace, noting the relative smallness of Loki's bodily features in comparison to him, and inside it stirred a need for him to… protect Loki though he was not much smaller than everyone else. To Thor, he was—is simultaneously so delicate yet somehow resilient, and it is Thor's duty to defend him against those whose intentions are tainted.

This has not changed. Loki is yet a slight creature under Thor's guard, and their children—children they have created out of their shared love—are as well. But Loki…

He sighs into his skin and nearly lets his excitement get the better of him but opens his eyes to see a photograph of their sons on a shelf and his blood circulates elsewhere.

Removing his arms from around Loki and mourning the loss of his comfortable cold, Thor moves to get a better view of the photograph, taking the frame into his hands after glancing at Loki and getting no opposition.

Two face-splitting grins grace their faces as they stand adjacent with snow as their backdrop. It is recent though Hloridi's hair just reaches the bottom of his ears.

"Do you have more of these?"

"What, photographs?"

He does not gift Loki with his rage, only able to give him an amused look. "Yes, Loki, photographs."

"Perhaps I may have some."

By "some," Loki meant many for the box he produces contains over two dozen photo albums, which he carefully sets atop the parlor table with a gentleness Loki has used during spell casting. His brother's organizational tendencies are evident with each label on the cover and spine, and Thor takes some satisfaction in removing an album by random and the resulting glare he earns from Loki across the table.

In Loki's elegant pen, "The Summer of 2020" is written in green pen on the cover.

He is pleasantly greeted by the familiar sight of square photographs overlaid in white: Polaroids. He goes to remove one from the plastic covering, but his finger is stung, green magic flashing across the page. Perhaps Loki's gentleness was unneeded, seeing as how these are magically protected.

"You use a Polaroid camera," Thor says as he glances down at the pictures, not attempting to remove them this time. He cocks an eyebrow at the sight of Hloridi holding a rather large snake around his neck as if it were an accessory. "Steven has one of those cameras as well." He holds his fingers up as if he was holding the device and mimics the clicking sound with his tongue.

Loki simply stares at him before he averts his eyes downward. "Why, Thor, I definitely needed a demonstration of how a Polaroid camera works. Thank you so very much."

He catches the mirth in Loki's eyes and fends off a smile as he turns his attention to the photographs. From the images, he learns that their sons have not changed much since 2020 though the tension between them in the present was absent then. He pauses on a photograph of three of his current students including Hloridi and reads the handwritten caption: "_Hloridi, Andrew, and Cooper."_

"Cooper Davis is in this picture," he says.

"He is in several of those pictures."

"Our sons hate him."

"Our sons are children with petty ways and fast-changing opinions. I will not discard a picture because of a childhood quarrel." Loki switches the album out for another and opens to images of their infant sons. "Also, they look adorable."

Thor does agree with that, cherubic cheeks and oversized eyes that make Thor want to hug them both for ages. He could have if he had known of their existence, and now though they are just as cute, they are not cute in the same infant way.

He does a double take when he flips to the first page of the album to find that their sons have swapped hair colors or eye colors… He cocks an eyebrow and looks to Loki before glancing back down. It would be an easy mistake to assume the two infants are him and Loki due to the blond, blue and black, green coloring, but the caption says otherwise.

"Their hair colors changed?" Thor asks.

"Yes, hair on infants does that, Thor." He smiles, and Thor looks down.

As dread and confusion suddenly enter his mind, he nearly frowns but the pictures help him maintain a joyful look. "Loki, why did you...?"

In his upper field of sight, Loki's eyes flit around them as if searching. His usual composure is absent for whatever reason Thor is currently ignorant to though with Loki, he will remain so, so his obvious option is to avoid direct query.

"You are at unease," he says. "Whatever troubles you so, share it, Loki."

"Nothing is wrong, Thor. You are being paranoid."

"No, I am not." He closes the album and sets it back in its place. "Loki… you know that you can trust me. I have made promises to you in the past regarding my trustworthiness, but I will make on again. I give you my word."

Loki chuckles. "My name is on the deed to this house, Thor. Your domain does not extend here."

"It does not." He considers Loki's words for a few moments before he is stricken by the memory of what his current or what was his duty before a temporary intermission was called. Even before then, Thor was not one to listen to simplistic constructs of Midgardian society though he has changed in that regard for he sees the logic in them as well as the fact that his brother will try to utilize them in his fight against Thor. "Hm, yes, it does not."

Loki's eyes narrow. "If you are—Thor, do not do this!"

"Since when have I listened to you? Since when have you listened to me?" he asks. "We were like our children until not very long ago, Loki, petty and unthinking..."

Loki starts to argue, but Thor continues talking unhindered.

"Now, we are different as you have said. You are different. I am different. Our lives have changed, and to pretend that they have not would be quite the mistake. It is not only us who are affected by the decisions we make, but our children are. I do see whatever your reasoning is, Loki, so let me be here for them." He touches Loki's chin and smiles. "For you."

His brother is not one to accept assistance when it is offered, only seeking it in the most dire of times, but with outliers such as Albert Lavert whose help Loki seems to welcome without much protest, he has seen the change in his brother, in his ability to accept help without thinking it an undermine to his power.

Loki brushes his hand away and stands, Thor doing so as well. "I have the situation handled."

"Does that somehow invalidate what I have said?"

"Thor, I—you are pushing me. Your persistence is nothing more than a hindrance than a benefit, and we have known each other for long enough to realize that I am not one to simply bend to your will."

"Then I expect you to push back," he says.

Loki's angry stare heats the longer they stand there until his eyes are a smolder of fiery green, alighting a fire inside of Thor that he has kept at patient bay for the past ten years.

His past mistakes were not repeated even in Loki's absence for Thor knows what he truly wants and is willing to wait for an opportunity to get it.

Now is that time.

He closes the unfortunate distance between Loki and he, taking Loki's face into his hands and taking in the slight widening of his eyes before he brings their mouths together in an ardent kiss conveying just how he intends to begin closing the time separating them.

Loki's hands on his shoulders are barriers keeping Thor from pressing against him until Thor persists in his kissing of Loki without any sign of stopping this, what they both direly want and need, and his fingers trail up his shoulders, cool fingertips pressing into the nape of Thor's neck. A sound of want leaves Loki's mouth, and he hooks a long leg around Thor's waist, more than enough to give Thor the motivation he needs to advance.

His shirt is torn down the center, Loki's hands roaming down and eliciting shudders from Thor at the cold touch, and he pulls away just as fingers hook into the waist of his jeans. He takes one glance at Loki and feels a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. His buttons and fastenings are no longer a problem for these Midgardian clothes…

In return for his shirt, he grasps Loki's at the collar and tears it down the front and back, Loki shrugging the halves off before he turns a dark look on Thor that increases the heat coursing from his upper extremities to places of lower yet high importance.

"No, not here." Loki pulls away to look up at him, and Thor groans inwardly, wanting to press against him direly. "My bedroom."

He slings Loki over his shoulder and wastes little time in getting them to Loki's bedroom, dropping his brother to the bed and climbing atop him.

Loki's eyes are deadly sharp as Thor moves his hands over the thin, hard curves and planes of a body he knows very well though nowhere near well enough, and Thor's restraint cracks, grabbing his face and pulling their lips back together.

A snap of elegant fingers and they are both nude.

Loki attempts to push him onto his back, but Thor overpowers him easily, Loki glaring at him though his eyes flutter shut instantly when Thor's hand grasps him in hand, a warmth unlike that of the rest of his body that first mystified Thor, still continues to if he is honest.

Beneath Thor, when his eyes are closed and he is pliant, Loki is most honest like this, his vulnerabilities exposed for him if he cares to look hard enough, but now? Though Loki's eyes may be closed and his body open for Thor's touch, he is as shielded as Thor knows him to be.

Frustration with the unfairness at it all causes him to stop, hand stilling around Loki. With the intermission, he takes in the sight of a physically exposed Loki lying under him.

Loki is as he remembers, never ending limbs and grace Thor once envied when he did not know the taste of desire. His skin remains a blank slate of alabaster, unmarred by scars, marks, or hair, and to pretend that they are once again a mere millennium of age and betrothed to only each other could be easy if Thor were one to pretend.

Unlike Loki unfortunately is, Thor is no pretender.

"Having performance issues?"

He descends upon Loki without restraint, touching where he pleases and basking in the warming fingertips roaming across his own body, and unleashes the carnal beast he has kept inside, lurking and silently biding his time until Loki yet again wanders into his life in a puff of green smoke and a devilish smile.

He drains Loki until he no longer can form the denials and lies, only Thor's name and begs leaving his lips. Thor stuffs every opening in every which way he has desired for the past decade of self-instilled chastity for 'his' Loki has left him an appetite only he can satiate with his unique features that pull everything from Thor till he has no more to give.

He admires the results of rounds and rounds of climax, Loki staring up with a fulfillment in his eyes and his sweat-sheened chest rising and falling rapidly. He presses a kiss to his warmed shoulder and exhales as he basks in the relief of pent up tension resolved after such a metaphorically long wait. Finally, he has caught his brother and broken him open as he loves to, as Loki will never admit to loving him doing.

He presses another kiss to Loki's skin with a murmur of, "I love you," and Loki shifts away from him, the haze of happiness nearly broken until Thor shifts along with him and moves so they are chest to back.

He did not expect Loki to leave afterward, but Loki is still... unpredictable.

"I am sure that you can manage to leave without my assistance."

Thor sits up to send a confused look at Loki's turned back. He was neither expecting everything to miraculously become the dream he holds of their future, but neither was he expecting Loki to give him one of his cold shoulders. They shared something sacred between them, only one among the more they will share.

He starts to question Loki when he thinks better of it. Instead, he presses a soft kiss to a notch of Loki's spine and remains where he is.

Loki

_He sharpens his mind sword, the only weapon he has ever had need of, as Loki Silver Tongue would before, his nose always pressed in a book and in those spells he no longer has use of._

_Thor's own campaign of rehabilitating his "brother"—Loki still sneers at the endearment; they have never been brothers—returns in the form of combat training with those metal sticks these righteous people plunge into the hearts of their enemies with justice on their lips. He arms Loki and speaks of him learning to protect himself now that he is weakened—never does he say "weakened," but instead "disadvantaged"—and without a means to fend off the many enemies he has made._

_Thor dodges his hits as if he is afraid, not of Loki but of what he often claims Loki has become, a monster of the lowly Jðtunn brutes they were raised—indoctrinated to rightly loathe. His own swings are not swings but defensive maneuvers as if Loki is the assailant when Thor put the sword in his hand just as he always has. _

_The silver swings in a high arc that Thor jumps from the way of, the sword meeting empty air._

_"Oh, is the mighty Thor scared of powerless Loki and a sword?" Loki asks, drawing his hand across his moistened brow. He feels strange with it in his hand, always has, but brings the weapon back before he lunge forth toward an off guard Thor._

_Too slow is he to raise his own sword, and it swipes his cheek in a clean line, the withdrawal of the weapon revealing the trickles of red falling from the new wound._

_"The Odinson still bleeds as the rest of us do," he says, watching Thor touch the blood as if it has not been inside of him for millennia. "Quickly, quickly, someone inform the populace."_

_Sweet rage fills Thor's eyes, and Loki drops the sword before bringing his hands up in surrender, taking a step backward as Thor takes one toward him, his body tense with anger._

_"My sincere apologies, my prince, for I had no idea little me could inflict such damage upon your perfect flesh."_

_Thor's hand grips his jaw, the primal beast he just manages to keep at bay coming out into the light for everyone to see. Not truly everyone though the guards look quite content in their places. "Is this what you want? You wish to anger me?"_

_"Some wishes do come true," he replies, "brother."_

_With the opening granted by Thor's rage, he flees from the atrium, grinning at how simple his brother still is after eons of Loki using his talents of distraction against him and the lack of smarts Thor possesses. He pays no attention to the guards who line the way, and their own stupidity proves to be as useful as ever for Loki navigates the corridors without interruption._

_Now, for the main event._

_A grin tugs at the corners of his lips as he-_

_Loki looks down at his corporeal form as he continues his escape. He must be distracted. Yes, this time it will-_

_He remains visible, his form as solid as the metals and rocks around him. _

_His magic, it's-_

_"Loki!"_

_It's truly gone, completely gone._

_In the shadows of a pillar is where he seeks refuge, pressing himself against the rock as he listens to Thor's heavy footsteps rapidly advancing. Nowhere can he hide; nowhere can he evade the eyes of those who hold scorn for him. _

_He is weakened, accosted of the very core of his being._

_Thor is suddenly in front of him, not tired from the pursuit nor bleeding any longer. Oh yes, Loki's magic cannot hurt him because Loki doesn't even have it!_

_The blow he prepares for does not come, but he is instead slung over one of Thor's shoulders as if he is but an endangered maiden Thor wishes to carry to safety. He struggles but is now more than ever not a match for his brawn, so he resorts to what he knows._

_"Are you tired of me already, Thor?" He recognizes the path Thor is taking, turns and twists he has taken while cloaked by the shadows he can no longer summon. "Have you decided to take me to Midgard to be served true Midgardian justice as I justly deserve?"_

_"We are not to be disturbed."_

_A guard stupidly voices his opposition, and Loki needs not glance up to see that Thor is glaring him compliant._

_"Of course, my prince."_

_The possibilities of what Thor has taken him to his own personal quarters to do are quite endless though the most likely ones end very differently. With his recent actions of hurting precious Thor, this may very well be the time when Thor's patience has reached its peak, where Loki will get tenfold done unto him as he has done unto Thor._

_He's shoved to the fur rug on the floor, sneering up at Thor as he steadies himself. "I had no idea you were so keen to have me in private. Had I known, we could have skipped to this part long ago."_

_Thor tears open his drawers without giving Loki one look. A look is what he at least deserves for all that Thor has done to him! He has taken his magic, has stolen from Loki what was truly his._

_Millennia of Loki silently baring the wrongs that Thor has continuously done to him, and when he finally retaliates, the world is exploded around him. He tries to save this forsaken realm from his wily brother, and he is labeled as a traitor, a terrorist, a monster. He seeks to prove—no, not "prove;" Loki has nothing to "prove" to anyone—that he is as formidable as the Odinson, and he is stripped of his magic without the mercy that he is deserved, that he is owed!_

_"I hate you."_

_Thor drops to a kneel in front of him, wearing the same expression as he did after Loki's defeat, the pity, disappointment, and guilt. The guilt is what Thor deserves to bare, and what Loki wants him to feel. "As you say."_

_Loki clenches his fists, taking in the gauze and salve Thor has set in front of him. He remembers wearing cuffs and that muzzle on his mouth with the same items in frog of him, and those hands were tending to his wounds with frustrating care. He does not care, not as Loki once did. _

_"I hate you, Thor," he whispers. "I hate you." _

_Once, Loki loved this idiotic being more than those people who kiss at his feet and praise his blessed skills on the battlefield. He did whatever Thor asked without much hesitation and only questioned him after the fact. His favored schemes and pranks were relegated to be executed after ensuring that Thor was not affected as the others would be, and when Thor was caught in the crossfire, Loki would make up for it in ways his maidens could not. Loki loved him._

_"Loki."_

_Loki loves him._

_Loki hates him._

_"Loki." Thor's hand wrenches his jaw up, and their eyes meet, Loki sending his defiance. "You do not hate me."_

_The clear response is lost on his tongue. "I—no, yes, I do hate you!" He cups Thor's jaw, wishing so direly that he could hurt him as he once could. "I despise you, Thor. You have taken everything from me."_

_5000 years of his life have been stolen by him. _

_Thor stares at him for a moment before he retreats, hand dropping from Loki's face and Loki's doing the same. "Do you want me to apologize for caring?"_

_"No, I don't want your pathetic apologies, or your—your attention. I want nothing from you! Nothing!"_

_"You may lie to these people and pretend aloofness, but I know you better than anyone ever will. I know your lies, and your tricks, but I fall for them because-"_

_"Because you are a fool."_

_"Yes, I am a fool, a fool who is in love with his-"_

_"I am not your anything!" he shouts. "And you are merely in love with who you wish for me to be. Now, are you going to finally beat me into submission, 'brother?'"_

_Thor's hands pin him to the rug, hands tight on his wrists, and Loki's legs are held open by Thor's knees. So, the other possibility was the truth after all._

_He leans in until their faces are an atom's length apart, every fleck of smoldering blue in his eyes, every hair follicle, and every emotion open to Loki to exploit. "No," Thor says, and Loki gasps as his legs are pinned down harder, "but I will fuck you."_

As the sun rises, so does Thor though Loki remains under the thrall of his half-sleep. He has become accustomed to the coolness of an empty bed since his sons stated their independence and ceased their late-night ventures into the bed beside him. When he was a boy, he did no such thing; Thor's bed was where he sought refuge.

He wakes four hours after Thor has been gone, his room flooded with sunlight shining in from the parted curtains, curtains that Loki himself did not part. A deep exhale and he removes himself from the comfort of his bed to rejoin the Midgardian world as a father, as a professor, as a _Midgardian_.

The water cascades over his back as he draws the sponge over his skin, the steam filling his airways in a pleasantly suffocating way. Scolding water is how he has enjoyed his showers for the past decade unlike the lukewarm water of baths he sat in before. The only way he can let himself calm beneath the spray is when he is sure that the toxins and grime of the past is destroyed in the high temperatures even if his skin is left raw. This Jðtunn skin of his desires the cold, but he will not give it the luxury it does not deserve.

Last night, long yearned for hands roamed his body and warmed him in ways only his hands have ever been able to. Years and years of self-sustenance in that regard could not compare to the memories of dalliances that often left Loki wanting more even when he was unable to bring himself to stand, so emptied by Thor and in the later times left to recuperate on his own while Thor found someone ready.

Loki is one to hold ill will, so the fact that he holds so little yet so much for Thor is an enigma to him as well.

The Kim Possible theme song greets him as usual when he descends the stairs, his sons' tendency to set a timer to their weekly cartoon watching seemingly forgotten in their leave, and Loki forgoes entering the den to turn it off to get his morning tea which he truly is in dire need of.

To think of the consequences of what happened past night requires a clear mind that Loki does not completely have, and the English pastime of tea drinking does provide the placebo effect of diffusing one's anxieties.

Ansvarr sits at the counter with his attention captured by the StarkPad he holds, and Loki pauses at the doorway to stare at him in his civilian persona, Ansvarr's large eyeglasses falling down his nose and red hair a mess beneath the large headphones. He did not hesitate to make himself scarce when Thor made his appearance yesterday, so his current presence is slightly surprising. Perhaps his impulsiveness has overcome his obedience or caution.

It is not as if Loki asked him to. He cares not if Thor meets him.

When his tea is in his hand, he takes the drink that he needs and exhales, the fog of rest clearing quickly. His previously hindered abilities are once again at their maximum including that of extrasensory.

The energies of his sons are present, accompanied by another energy absent for much of the morning, in the den.

His sons did not forget nor are they still at their respective friends' houses.

Loki takes another sip as he watches Ansvarr.

Persistent, pushy, overreaching fool.

By no means is Loki envious of Thor's newfound taking for fatherhood, but he would prefer if Thor were inclined to slowly ease himself into their lives. Then again, ease is not Thor's prerogative.

"Ansvarr."

He jolts, eyes shooting up. "My lie—Loki, I apologize for not greeting you," he says as he pulls the headphones down. "You do not require my assistance?"

"No, I would have called upon you," Loki replies. "What are you doing here? You have not cloaked yourself, so I assume he has seen you."

"Yes, he did." Ansvarr clears his throat. "I arrived back moments before he did with the princ—Hloridi and Loptr, and he asked them if I was any threat to which they responded, 'no.' I retreated here."

The encounter is going to be strained enough due to the fact they happened to spend the night together, but Thor's "initiative" to retrieve their sons and this? Well, if Loki wanted a conflict, he is sure to have one when he enters the den though Thor may have the inclination to delve straight to the point elsewhere when they are not in the company of their sons. He seems to have some patience regarding them.

Because Loki is no procrastinator, he goes to face this trial now rather than later.

Thor's red-clad arms stretch the length of the back of the couch, Hloridi leaning forward away from his grasp, and Loptr's kicking legs are seen first as he sits upside down on an armchair, legs kicking in the air and his Deadmau5 socks on full display.

He stops at the arm of the couch and takes in the sight. For once, Hloridi is not enraptured by his phone but instead by the television, and he and his brother are both watching without any wayward words sent in the other's way when their positions would be quite optimal for argument.

Perhaps Thor's position in the middle is the reason.

"Father, good morning we're having, right?" Loptr asks. Loki does not have to bother with telling him to readjust his position for Loptr is already turning himself the right side up and sitting on the chair as it was meant to be used.

He crosses his arms and watches them all for a few moments before responding to his son. "It is fair," he replies as Thor finally acknowledges his presence by turning his gaze to him.

Thor's eyes are neutral though Loki can make out hits and pieces of contained curiosity slipping through. He supposes he should be thankful for this mercy.

Hloridi glances at him before he grins. "Father, have I ever told you that you're like Shego?"

Yes, many, many times.

Thor chuckles and pats Hloridi's shoulder. "Your jests seem to hold truth, my son."

Loki does not twitch at the endearment.

He turns to leave when Thor says, "Loki, come join us," and gestures to the empty space beside him, enough for Loki to sit down though there will be touching between Thor and him. After last night and the fact that they have not discussed what it entails—hint: nothing—Loki would rather not get within a foot of Thor in fear of another repetition. He cannot afford to make another… clouded decision.

He stares back at Thor and remains standing.

"Hey, Lop, want to go get some Pop Tarts?"

"Yeah, Lori, that's a, um, good idea…"

His—their sons brush past him on their way out of the room.

"Who is he?"

"Ansvarr?" Loki asks. "No one relevant to you."

Thor stands. "Loki, who is he?" Thor is far too vain to be blind to the obvious resemblance they share even with his cut and dyed hair and eyeglasses. His obliviousness of their sons' paternity would have been remedied sooner if they were his exact clones.

"Ansvarr," he replies. "You can infer the rest. He is here because I asked him to be."

"He does not need to be here any longer. I am capable of doing whatever he is supposed to do."

He smirks. "Thor, you are no master mage nor are you exactly subtle. The fact that you retrieve our sons is going to create a problem because how do I explain that Thor-" He stops himself as his voice increases in volume and recollects his composure. "What are you going to do?"

"Keep my word," Thor says. "If you oppose me, I will only persist."

Does Thor truly think Loki will be heeled as easily as these Midgardians who drop to their knees at a wave of his hand? Has he forgotten the 5000 years preceding the night they spent together, or does he want Loki to change because of simple sex?

"A week," Loki says. "Give me a week then you can proceed with these plans to integrate yourself fully into our lives. I will not oppose you then."

"Until the weekend," he replies. "After that, I intend to take my rightful place."

He nearly laughs at that. Thor and his entitlement.

Loki cocks his head to the side and grins. "I think we have come to an agreement."

Thor smiles and walks until there is less than a foot between them. "I will see you tomorrow," he says, and Loki should be expecting the kiss that comes and the dominant way Thor grabs his jaw as if that would keep him from escaping if he truly wanted.

He grips Thor's shoulders hard and kisses him back with teeth, his own carnal instincts kept suppressed barely, and ends the kiss first to send Thor a look that shows just how much Loki will oppose him even after this week.

Of course Thor is a naïve fool and ignores it, so when he discovers that Loki does not intend to make good on their agreement, Loki will only laugh.

* * *

**A/N**: The sex scenes were initially explicit in the earlier drafts, but I attempted to tone them down.

Also, coming up next chapter, Does Loki not keep his word? Does Thor get what he wants? Does Albert figure it out? Do the twins stop fighting? We will see!


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